A Hunger Like No Other
by sessakag
Summary: Greed... A deadly sin. When Youkai, hungry for power and prestige tamper with The Book of the Dead to obtain these things, they unleash a being who's greed for death and destruction far exceeds their own greed and ambition.
1. Premonition

_**Chapter one:**_

_**Premonition**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

_**November 5**__**th**__**, 3000 B.C**_

The sun was bright over the land. Though the sun was blazing high in the sky, a fresh breeze washed over the land of Agyptia, cooling the earth. It was a bit late in the afternoon, nearly time for the midday meal.

The farmers of Agyptia had already begun to work their lands, inspecting their crops and killing any beasts that wandered onto their land with the intent of feasting on the crops or live stock. The maids were up as well, going about their daily routine of cleaning the homes of their masters', hand washing clothing, watching the children and opening the shutters of the numerous windows of the house with intent of letting cool air inside.

One Agyptian woman, however still lay abed. A soft knock on the door did not wake the sleeping woman.

"Mistress Jamila," the maid, Khepri, called through the door.

No answer. Reaching out, she turned the gold encrusted door knob, and slowly opened the door. The maid could see the silhouette of her mistress through the white, see through canopy surrounding the large, feather stuffed bed. She lay buried under thick piles of pearl white quilts, gold lining the edges. The bed frame its self was made of solid gold with some of the best jewels in all of Agyptia.

Khepri sighed in envy as she looked around the large room. The stone floors were clean and free of any dirt or mud; the walls were painted a rich sky blue, thirty white candles encased in gold colored glass lined the entire room, though none were lit at the moment, various expensive vases sat atop tables made of pure gold. A large golden vanity sat near one of the large floor length windows, with various types of brushes, combs and cosmetics sat on top of the glorious piece of furniture. It was one of the most glorious rooms in the palace, as well it should be. It was the room of the Queen Jamila and the Pharaoh Bomani.

"Mistress Jamila," she called again.

The woman in bed stirred with a big yawn, stretching as she opened her eyes.

Standing in the doorway, the maid lifted a hand, focusing on the canopy curtain. She moved her hand from left to right. The curtain followed the motion, moving seemingly upon its own accord to reveal the waking woman.

"Is it morning all ready, Khepri?" Jamila asked sleepily.

"Yes, Mistress, it is nearly time for the Midday meal," she said walking over to the dressing room, the curtains covering the windows opening as well, bathing the room in sunlight.

Raising a hand once more, she used her energy to push open the curtain covering the large dressing room. Walking inside the room, walked over to one of the shelves where rows upon rows of clothing lined the walls. Picking out a long, thin, short sleeve linen shirt made of the finest material, the edges hemmed with gold, a sheer cloth extending from the gold hemming of the shirt, and a skirt made of the same style and material.

Clothing in hand, Khepri walked back into the main bedroom. Jamila sat up in bed, hand to her mouth as she let out a large yawn. Khepri placed the clothing on the foot of the bed as Jamila crawled out of bed and stood.

Stretching, she reached down to caress her large belly. Jamila smiled. It would be any day now. She was now in her ninth month of carrying. This would be her first child to reach term, having lost three children before birth, she was very hopeful for this one. She could feel her little girl's power even at her underdeveloped state. Though her husband, Bomani wished for a son, Jamila was convinced it was a girl. She had even chosen a name. Kamilah, which mean; perfection. Her child would be perfect.

Khepri walked over to her. Jamila let her arms hang at her sides as Kamilah pulled off her robe, leaving her naked to the afternoon sun. Khepri inwardly sighed in envy once more. Queen Jamila was everything she had always wanted to be. Barely following the customs of Agyptia, Jamila seemed to be a law onto herself. Her hair was the most obvious.

Long, impossibly black hair flowed down her back, it was soft and silky and never seemed to be infested with lice as some of the other women who did not shave their hair and wear wigs. Most women of Agyptia shaved their heads and wore wigs, not only to keep cool under the intense sun, but to rid themselves of lice and other such bugs, as well as saving them the trouble of grooming and caring for the hair. Khepri wished to grow her hair out once more, but servants were not allowed to for fear of offending their Mistresses and Masters.

Jamila's skin was a tanned brown, not darkly so as Khepri's skin was. Even her eyes were slightly different, something unheard of among the Agyptians. All Agyptian's eyes were a deep dark, greenish blue. Jamila's eyes were a shade lighter and shot through with little specks of gold, the green in her eyes a bit more dominant than the blue.

Her name, Jamila, meaning beauty, suited her well. Khepri's name, morning sun, was pretty common. Standing next Jamila, Khepri felt plain, though she knew she was decently pretty she still felt plain around her Mistress.

Even with a huge belly, she was a gorgeous woman, but that was to be expected of a member of the Olufemi clan, Olufemi meaning beloved of the gods. In addition to the Agyptian trait of telekinesis, the Olufemi clan was also known for their hereditary transmission of supernatural powers from generation to generation. For example, Jamila's grandmother, Akila, meaning intelligent, could see into the future; Jamila's cousin, Eshe, meaning life, could hypnotize people and make them zombies; Haqikah, meaning honest, could cure any illness with her magic. In addition to this, the Olufemi clan's specialties are brainwashing and assassination.

Many of its members, especially the women, have some supernatural traits that none of the Agyptian's themselves had, not only that, but the clan guarded one of Agyptia's most important items.

The Book of the Dead.

The Book of the Dead was a collection of chapters made up of magic spells and formulas. Reading from the book was forbidden unless the individual reading from the book was a member of the Olufemi clan. Violating the rules of the proper use of the book was grounds for immediate punishment. In the few cases where an individual was brave enough to commit such a crime, said individual usually received death by torture if they were lucky, if not, the curse of the book would dish out punishment instead.

Pulling herself away from her thoughts, Khepri followed her Mistress into the cleaning area, a golden water basin built into the wall. As Jamila cleansed herself, Khepri grabbed a fluffy drying cloth from a shelf in the dressing room, returning, she handed it to Jamila to dry herself.

Once done, she tossed the cloth into the basket used to hold dirty cloth until the washing maid came by to collect and wash the contents of the basket. Grabbing the clothing she had laid on the edge of the bed, Khepri helped her Mistress dress.

"I wish to visit grandmother Akila this eve, Khepri, please see to the preparations while I consume the Midday meal,"

"Yes Mistress," she said.

The top fitted loosely over her breasts, the sheer material attached to the bottom of the top covered her extended belly. The skirt was long and flowing, hip length slits running along the sides of the material revealing a health amount of skin. Sitting at her vanity, Jamila allowed Khepri apply kohl to her eyelids, and brush out her hair.

Khepri would never admit it aloud, but brushing out her Mistresses hair was a pain in the ass. Sometimes she wished that her Mistress would just shave her head and wear wings like a normal woman. She sighed inwardly. There was no help for it. Her Mistress would have her way and to hell with the opinion of anyone else. As Jamila looked over her work, Khepri walked back into the dressing room and pulled down a heavy wooden chest before returning to the vanity.

Opening the chest, she pulled out Jamila's royal head piece and placed it atop her head. Jamila fixed the golden head piece to her liking as Khepri pulled out another piece of jewelry. Within minutes, Jamila was adorned in many pieces of jewelry made of pure gold, diamonds and rubies.

Once that was complete, the two went downstairs to the dinning hall. As the Queen took her seat at the table, the kitchen servants brought out the Midday meal. While Jamila ate her breakfast, Khepri went to make preparations for their trip to the Olufemi Palace. She found the stable hand, Akiiki in the stable brushing down a large black stallion.

Wearing a linen kilt and nothing more, Khepri sighed in appreciation of his well muscled bronze chest. Akiiki was a childhood friend of hers. Wild yet friendly, Akiiki was friend to any and all, thus was why he had been named Akiiki, Akiiki literally meaning friendly.

Her parents and his parents had been neighbors for more than ten years. Akiiki was three years older than her. At nineteen years old, Akiiki was consider a man grown, while Khepri, sixteen years old was consider a woman grown as well. The two were well passed the age of marriage. The average female married at twelve and had at least two to three children by the age of sixteen. Though males had more leeway, Akiiki was about two years over due.

"Khepri," he said as she entered, "It is very nice to see you,"

"Nice to see you as well," she said, a pretty blush coming to her cheeks.

She had had a crush on him for the last two years, and to her frustration, Akiiki was completely and utterly oblivious.

She sighed.

She could not expect anything less from the teen, he had always been so.

"What brings you here? Does the Queen wish to take a trip outside the palace?"

Khepri nodded.

"She wishes to visit her grandmother Mistress Akila in the Olufemi Palace this eve," she explained.

Akiiki nodded.

"I shall have everything ready within minutes,"

"Thank you," she said as she turned and headed back inside.

She sighed again. Akiiki was so completely clueless it was sad. He did not even see her as a woman but as a childhood friend. When would he realize she was a woman not the childhood friend he had grown up with? Perhaps never.

With their transportation taken care of, Khepri headed back inside to the Queen, who had just finished her meal. Khepri helped her Mistress stand, and the two walked to the main gates of the palace, where Jamila took a seat on a cushioned chair near the entrance. Two slaves approached the seated female, large fans in hand. Immediately they began to fan the Queen.

"My husband was not abed when I awoke," Jamila said to Khepri, "Where has he gone?"

"The Master left earlier than normally again, Mistress. He is meeting with ambassadors who are offering tributes from foreign countries again,"

"Hm," Jamila said softly, her hand drifting down to caress her belly as the child shifted in her womb.

Her husband had been meeting with those foreigners an awful lot this week, and to be honest, she had a bad feeling about those men. They were demons; however, they preferred to be called, Youkai. From what Bomani had told her, the Youkai claimed to come from an island called Japan. Jamila did not trust those men. She had never heard of a Youkai in her entire, long, long life. Sure Agyptians and Youkai had a few things in common such as above human abilities and longevity, however, that was not enough to convince her that these, _demons_ were not out to cause harm.

If her suspicions were not good enough, then there were the reports given to her by the numerous slaves she had spread around the city. She had heard from one of her slaves that one of the men that came with the group had been going around the city asking questions.

This would not have been so significant if they had not been asking questions about the Book of the Dead.

Not even the people of Agyptia were allowed to ask such question.

Her instincts were screaming at her. These men were not good men. They meant to do harm to them somehow. She had voiced her worries to her husband, but to no avail. He merely patted her hand and told her that there was naught to worry about, that the foreigners were good men, that they were merely here to learn and hopefully become friendly.

Neither Jamila, nor her clan was so sure that they were as innocent as they seemed.

She wished her husband would listen to her, but he was a man after all. Men tended to do the opposite of what a woman asked, even if the woman was right. It was the way of men unfortunately. She just hoped that the price they would have to pay would not be too high.

As the carriage arrived for the Queen, two mdjai walked along side of the carriage. Dressed in white linen kilts lined with gold trimming, head pieces and swords strapped to their backs. The mdjai immediately walked over to the pregnant Queen and helped her up and into the carriage. One of the mdjai held out a hand to Khepri which she accepted and was assisted into the carriage, after which, the mdjai grabbed onto the handles on the side of the carriage, their feet resting on the built on foot rest.

The horseman took up the reins and flicked the once. The white stallions began to trot forward, pulling the carriage at a slow pace. As they traveled through the city of Sha'alka, the people stopped what they were doing to turn and look upon the Queen of Agyptia.

They traveled no more than an hour before the Olufemi Palace came into sight. Second only to the Pharaoh's own palace, the Olufemi Palace was as large as it was dazzling, standing almost as tall as pyramids. It was a rich, pure white stone structure, the roof made of pure gold. It was unheard of, having a roof made of pure gold, however, the Olufemi Palace was thousands of years old, and no one could quite remember how the roof had been created.

As they approached the golden gates, Jamila's cousin Eshe sat waiting for them, a bright smile on her face. She wore a long, flowing, sleeveless linen dress with the usual hip length slits on the sides, around her waist dangled a gold chain with a ruby attached to the chain. She wore a short, chin length wig with gold beads weaved into the strands of hair, dark kohl decorated her eye lids laminating her blue eyes, her skin a dark tan. She was as pretty as her cousin Jamila.

"Cousin," she greeted as the two women stepped from the carriage with the help of the Mdjai.

"Cousin Eshe," Jamila said with a smile, embracing the younger woman.

The two embraced and walked towards the entrance doors. Khepri watched as the women, followed by the mdjai walked through the palace doors, the mdjai took up positions on each side of the palace doors as the women disappeared inside. She sighed. It would be a long wait. She preferred not to follow her Mistress inside. She had only been in once and prayed she never had to again.

The shadows in that place moved. The palace itself seemed to be alive and breathing. It scared her to death. Almost as much as its inhabitants, almost, but not quite. There seemed to be this energy, not necessarily good, and yet not necessarily evil either. It was just……there, all consuming, suffocating. She had wandered the halls aimlessly, her eyes wide, terrified of anything and everything, her heart pounding so loud in her ears, her breath hitching in her chest. Eventually, she had been found by a servant, huddled in a corner.

Khepri folded her hands across her chest in unease. This place, it was beautiful and yet it always gave her the chills, as though this place was not as beautiful and dazzling as the outside made it seem.

When she had expressed her reluctance to enter the structure again to her Mistress, she had been surprised when the Queen had nodded in understanding, as if she knew what it was that had scared her servant so. That quick understanding had made her feel more ill at ease than reassured, as if Queen Jamila knew exactly what the palace contained. Whatever it was, Khepri did not want to know.

Inside the palace, Jamila walked with her cousin Eshe down a long hall. The palace welcomed Jamila, the energy surrounding the place crackling against her own. Jamila smiled. She so loved to visit her childhood home. The Olufemi Palace had been around long before she had ever been born, and ever since she had been born, its energy had always wrapped around her in a loving embrace. The palace was like a second mother, especially after her own mother had perished.

Though Agyptians lived long, centuries long, they were not immortal, they could be killed. Her mother had been killed by a wayward man trying to steal the Book of the Dead. The fool had taken the Book after killing her mother, and then read from the Book intending to use its magic to enslave the Earth. The man was not a crazed individual, but a smart and cunning man with an overwhelming ambition. He had not been wrong in think the Book held such power. Thought they tried to keep its contents a secret, sometimes the secrets leaked and that was the end result of such a thing.

After mother's death, Jamila had been entrusted with the Book, and when her daughter was born, the Book would pass on to her.

"Grandmother is expecting you," Eshe said as the two headed to the east wing of the palace.

Jamila placed a hand on her belly, rubbing gently.

"She is going to read my daughters future is she not?" Jamila asked.

"Yes," she said as they walked up to tall double doors.

The doors opened on their own accord and the two entered the room. The room was well light with hundreds of candles encased in gold colored glass, bathing the room in a golden hue. A large rug took up most of the room. Embodied into the rug was the picture of a sun rising up over a pyramid. A young looking woman sat on the floor above the sun, her luminous blue eyes shimmering in the candle light.

She looked a lot like Jamila expect for the fact that her skin was a darker tan and she wore a wig. The woman sitting on the rug looked no older than her late twenties; however, if one were to look into those deep blue eyes, one would see that she was a lot older than that.

"Grandmother," Jamila said with a smile, coming over to take a seat with the woman.

"It is wonderful to see you Jamila dear," Akila said to her granddaughter, "Eshe, please, come sit with us,"

Eshe came and sat next to the two women.

Akila looked down at her belly, a smile on her face. She looked up at Jamila.

"She is due any day now," Akila said.

Jamila nodded, caressing her stomach.

"Yes, any day now. I can feel it. Her energy is growing with each passing day.

"Then let us begin," she said.

It was an age old Olufemi clan tradition to read the future of a child only days before the child was due. Though Akila could see the future, she was only able to see a fraction of the future, not the whole picture. When looking at a child's future, she merely looked for any hardships the child would endure so that the child and parents would be able to properly prepare for said event.

Akila leaned forward and placed her hands on Jamila's stomach, blue eyes glowing brightly, instantly a picture of the child's future came to her. The energy in the room suddenly felt heavy and suffocating. The two watched in confusion as Akila's eyes widened enormously, a small line of blood dripped down her nose as the future was revealed……

_Akila stood before a large door. This was not strange at all. The door was before her was called the Door of Knowledge. Reaching out she touched a hand to the door. The door creaked loudly as it opened._

_A bright light shined brightly in her face. Taking a step, she walked into the light. Instantly, she felt scorching heat on her face, her eyes widened in shock. It was a village, some foreign place she was not familiar with. The people lived in wooden structures instead of stone houses like the Agyptia people, green trees and rolling hills made up the land, not the stone roads and endless sand she was accustomed to, even the clothing of the people was different, the screaming women wore long dresses with long sleeves, while the males wore a similar shirt and balloon like bottoms. Where ever this place was, it was not Agyptia._

_The people were running and screaming, all going in the same direction. A loud, animalistic roar pierced the air, chilling Akila to the bone._

_She felt an enormous amount of energy coming from the direction the people were running from. It was not something she had ever felt before and yet, it felt familiar. Another roar pierced her ears; a pained scream followed the roar. As the crowd parted, Akila could finally see what it was that had the crowd so terrified._

_A girl in a white sleeveless, blood soaked dress stood over a man screaming in terror, raising a sword, the girl brought the sword down on the man. The man lifted his arm in an attempt to defend himself. To no avail, the sharp jagged blade cut through skin, muscle and bone with ease. The man's screams were silenced as the blade slashed through his arm and face, lodging into the ground beneath him._

_The girl was so thin and small and yet she committed such a heinous act without flinching. She leaned over the man, her long dark hair covering her face. Pulling the sword from the body, she straightened, a low, inhumane growl rumbling from her chest. _

_Akila took a step back. That girl was no ordinary girl._

_The girl looked up, sky blue eyes illuminated. She had never seen eyes like that; however she could not doubt the girl's heritage. Her tanned skin, midnight dark hair, blue eyes; that girl was an Agyptian!_

_Looking at her face, she saw Jamila inside there. This child, she belonged to Jamila, her great granddaughter. Akila was horrified at the sight before her as she stared into the light blue eyes of her great granddaughter. Those eyes…….so light they were nearly white, glowed with an unfathomable evil. Dear Gods what was this child! This child could bring down the world as they knew it! The power thrumming through her was unimaginable. It was evil. As the girl bared her teeth, white gleaming fangs stood out. _

_This child was no child, she was something else entirely._

_The girl kneeled down in the thick pool of blood pooling beneath the dead body._

_As the girl leaned down, mouth open, eyes hungry, Akila pulled herself from her trance, unable to watch the gruesome scene anymore……_

"Grandmother," Jamila called to the woman that sat stunned before her.

Akila stare unseeingly at the two women, her hands shaking in front of Jamila's extended belly.

"Grandmother," Eshe said, reaching out a hand to touch the older woman's hand.

Akila looked over at Eshe.

"Are you alright?" Eshe asked in concern.

"Yes…..yes I am fine," Akila said taking a breath.

"Your nose is bleeding grandmother," Jamila said.

As if still in a trance, Akila wiped the blood from her nose before slowly turning to face Jamila. Seeing her grandmother so shaken, Jamila reached out, patting one of her clammy hands.

"What is it grandmother? What did you see?" Jamila asked, starting to worry when her grandmother said nothing and continued to stare.

"Jamila…..that child….she….Gods help her child!" she stood, pulling Jamila up with her, "Come, we must pray! We must pray to the Gods to save your child!"

Jamila gasped as her grandmother's grip on her arm turned bruising. That was the least of her problems; she was more worried about what her grandmother had seen and what did she mean to save her child? Was her baby going to die?

"Grandmother!" she cried out, planting her feet into the ground, "What is wrong? Tell me what you saw!"

Akila stopped, silently starring at her worried granddaughter. No longer did she see her beloved granddaughter, but the monster that was her great grandchild. Her heart clenched as she looked at Jamila's swollen belly.

"Oh sweet mercy child, why?" she said softly.

"Grandmother, please, just tell us what you saw," Eshe said.

Silence filled the room.

"Your child….she is……evil….She was killing……eating her victims………"

Jamila took a step back, her eyes widening. She shook her head, a protective hand coming to her belly.

"Nay….that cannot……she is not….."

"Yes, child, she is and she can! I have seen so with mine own eyes," she said, tears forming in her eyes, "That child is the spawn of an evil that you cannot even begin to imagine!"

Akila grabbed Jamila's forearms, pulling her close, her eyes wide with fear.

"You must pray," she whispered fiercely, "Everyday before that child is born…..and everyday after…..pray child!"

As her grip turned bruising once more, Eshe pulled her grandmother away from the pregnant woman. Akila struggled as Eshe pulled her out of the room.

"Pray!!" Akila screamed, "Pray for that child's immortal soul! Pray to the Gods!"

Jamila stood rooted to the spot for long moments, not sure what to do, what to say. Backing against a wall, she slipped down to the floor, her hands on her belly.

Her child……evil?

It could not be so. It had to be a mistake.

Tears formed in her eyes. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Even as her mind tried to find an explanation that would discredit her grandmother she knew she could not. Her grandmother was never wrong. Her child was an evil child. Her little girl…a murderer.

A murderer that would commit the ultimate sin; killing was already enough of a sin, but….eating them. It was an insult to the Gods themselves!

She shook her head as tears began to fall. No. She would not let this be. She would protect her child, even if she had to protect her from herself. She would pray. She would pray everyday if she had to. She would pray until the day she died! All she had ever wanted was a child; she would not loose this one to evil.

Standing, Jamila hurried out of the Palace to the carriage, wiping her face clean as she stepped through the double doors and out into the evening sun. Khepri was waiting for her; the poor maid was dying in the intense heat. She sat along the stone wall that offered a bit of shade.

"We leave now," Jamila said crisply as she pulled her self into the carriage before either of the mdjai had a chance to assist her.

Khepri stumbled to her feet in surprise.

"Yes Mistress," she said as she scrambled into the carriage next to the distressed woman.

Khepri was completely confused. Usually the future reading of a new child was a joyful occasion, she had not seen her Mistress this was before. Not even when she had gone to seek comfort from her clan when she had conceived and then lost the children from before. She wondered what had upset her so. Had the future princess' future been less than good?

Judging by the way Jamila shakily rubbed her belly, she could safely assume that was the case. She hoped her Mistress was not going to loose another child. The broken hearted wails Jamila had let loose each time a child of hers had died was still fresh in her mind.

She did not think her Mistress could endure such a tragedy again.

"Tomorrow, we are to visit the temples for prayer. I will be spending my entire day at the temple," Jamila said as she stared into the distance.

"Yes, Mistress," said Khepri.

The temples? Now Khepri was really curious. Her Mistress spending the entire day there? Never had she done such a thing. Whatever had happened must have really scared her enough to send her running to the temple. Khepri looked at Jamila's shaking hand caressing her belly.

What had Mistress Akila told her about the child?

They arrived back to the Palace within an hour. The Pharaoh had still not returned from his duties, so Jamila dined alone. Though she had no taste for food, she ate merely to sustain the life inside of her.

Once she had eaten her feel, she bathed and dressed for bed. As Khepri brushed and braided her hair, Jamila stared into the mirror, her hands cradling her belly. Khepri watched her Mistress. She was behaving very, very strangely and she wondered if she should report the behavior to the Pharaoh? She wasn't sure.

She sighed. She didn't want to get in trouble for speaking of things that she did not know of. She would leave things as they were for the time being.

******************

_**Hope you all enjoyed the story. This story will probably be updated slower than my other story 'Angel'. I'll try my best to juggle both stories however. Please review! **_

_**Laters**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	2. Defiance

_**Chapter Two: Defiance**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

_**June 15th, 3001 B.C**_

Jamila sat out on the veranda of the east wing of the palace enjoying a nice bowl of assorted fruits. Her hand reached down to stroke the dark head of the dark haired child seated in her lap. She smiled down at the girl as she plucked a grape from the bowl and held up the fruit for her mother to eat. Jamila leaned down and ate the grape from her daughter's stubby little hand.

The little girl laughed before pulling another piece of fruit and held it up to her mother once again. Jamila took the fruit between her teeth, chewing happily as the little girl giggled delightfully once more.

Reaching down, Jamila stroked the girl's soft dark hair, sighing in complete happiness as the little girl looked up at her with sky blue eyes. That was something never seen before, even Jamila's eyes were not considered that unusual, when looking at her, most Agyptians stopped and gazed into those depths, mesmerized by strange hue of blue.

Jamila thought her eyes were the perfect color, but then again to Jamila everything about her daughter was perfect. Kamilah was perfection personified in her eyes.

Jamila picked up the ten month old child and cuddled her. She had never known that having and loving a child could make your heart swell and practically bleed love with every smile, every laugh, and every small giggle. Lifting her up, she smiled up at the child squealed.

Slowly bring her down, Jamila kissed both cheeks as Kamilah grasped two handfuls of her mother's hair. Jamila sat the little girl down in front of her, gently removing her hands from her hair. Taking the girls hands she leaned down to the little girl.

"Kamilah say mommy," she coached her.

Kamilah merely smiled making cooing noises to her mother.

"Come on sweet love, say mommy,"

Kamilah clapped her hands, giggling.

Jamila could not help but laugh at her daughter's antics. Only ten months old, she had not expected her to be able to say mommy, but she was close to saying it.

"Mistress Jamila,"

Jamila turned to Khepri who stood in the door way.

"Yes Khepri?" she asked.

"The Pharaoh calls for you. He wishes for you to meet some visitors,"

Jamila reached down and picked up her daughter who had crawled over to her leg and was pulling on her linen skirt. Propping the girl on her hip she turned her attention back to Khepri.

"Visitors?" Jamila asked, apprehension creeping into her voice.

It was the foreigners again, she just knew it was. Her husband had been trying over and over to get her to meet them and each time she had declined. Her husband seemed completely mesmerized by the foreigners and their strange things. She was not, nor would she condone his behavior. She knew those men were up to no good, had expressed her concerns to her hard headed husband and had only be yelled at by her husband.

"Yes Mistress, more foreigners from Japan," Khepri said.

Khepri was just as fearful of those men as her Mistress was. One of those men in particular she didn't trust. He was a tall, dark haired demon with piercing crimson eyes. He seemed to watch everyone and everything with a sick calculating look in his eyes.

The energy radiating off of that one was something incredibly foul, though he tried to hide it, however small bits of dark energy escaped his confines.

He was called himself Jikininki of the Kuro clan. With him was another demon, this one tall, silver haired and amber eyed by the name of Sounga of the Shiro clan. Though that one did not have dark energy oozing from his very being, Khepri still did not trust him, he seemed…..different. Not in a bad way, but not necessarily in a good way either. She might have been less worried if the men had come alone, but they had not.

They had brought along a small army. For protection they said. Khepri was not so sure that was the reason at all. Since they had arrived, she had had a sense of dread, a feeling of impending doom that she just could not shake no matter how hard she tried.

Something was going to happen soon and it scared her to death.

"Tell him I'll not meet these _foreigners,_" Jamila said adjusting the antsy child on her hip, "If he wishes to speak to me I will be in the temple of Bes with Kamilah,"

Khepri bowed.

"Yes Mistress," she said before turning and hurrying away to do her Mistress' bidding.

The Pharaoh would not be pleased. Pharaoh Bomani was very, very taken with his new foreign friends. There was even talk of an alliance between the two countries, which had the people of Agyptia in an uproar. They, like Khepri, were weary of the new comers and their strange gifts. Agyptia was a small country located south of Japan. Being so small, it was an easy mark for countries wanting to expand. By inviting these people in they had put themselves at a great disadvantage, vulnerable to attack.

Khepri sighed. She just wanted those men gone.

Jamila sat in the open carriage with her daughter in her lap. The open carriage slowly trotted down the dirt road giving the people of Agyptia a clear view of their Queen and Princess. Jamila gently stroked the little girl's dark hair.

The temple of Bes was not new to Kamilah, even at her young age. Jamila visited the sacred temple everyday with her daughter, her grandmother's vision still fresh in her mind. Looking at the sweet girl, to Jamila, it was hard to believe that her daughter could be something evil, however, her grandmother was never wrong, and if she gave advice it was best to take it.

Jamila was no fool. She would not leave her daughter to such a fate. She would pray until her dying breath, and whether her daughter became evil or not, Jamila would not turn her back on her child, no matter what. She would protect her.

Since the day her grandmother had delivered the horrible news Jamila had not gone back to see any of her relatives, too afraid that they would look at her child as something to fear or ridicule. She would not subject Kamilah to that.

They traveled no more than a half hour before reaching the large stone structure. The temple of Bes was tall and complex, almost like a maze. As one of the mdjai helped Jamila down, Jamila started up the stone steps, child in arms. She walked up three steps when something stopped her cold. Someone or something was watching her.

She could feel its eyes, its dark disgusting energy crawling all over her. She felt soiled, unclean. Whatever was watching her was pure malice, dark and unquestionably evil. Jamila barely heard her child crying as eyes bored into her back.

She turned, her eyes trying to locate the source. Her eyes scanned the stone structures across the street. She could see nothing in the dark alleys between the structures but she knew, she just knew that whatever that was it was hiding somewhere in or around those buildings.

"What is wrong, Mistress?" one of the mdjai asked, his hand on the handle of sword as he too searched the area for a possible intruder or threat.

"Nothing…." Jamila said after brief hesitation.

A sharp increase of that malevolent energy nearly choked her. Pulling the crying little girl closer to her, she hurried up the stone steps of the temple. She could feel that energy following her as she ran, and for once, she was terribly frightened for her life, for the life of her child.

As she hurried up the steps, the mdjai guarding the door quickly opened the doors, inquiring looks on their face. Jamila ignored them as she ran inside the temple, not stopping until she reached the statue of Bes. Only then did she stop and shakily tend to her crying child.

OoOoOoOoO

She could sense him. They both could, the Queen and her daughter. He increased his malevolent energy ten fold, trying to consume, overwhelm both mother and daughter with his energy. He smiled as Queen Jamila began to run with Princess Kamilah. That child….she was the one. Queen Jamila could not run, nor could she keep the little Princess safe forever. They would have that child.

There was no doubt about it. With that idiot Pharaoh too distracted to see what was really going on, Princess Kamilah was theirs for the taking.

Turning away, he melted down into the shadows of the alley, heading back to his master. Using the shadows to travel, he moved swiftly through the city, weaving in and out of alleys and stone structures. Within minutes, he was at the entrance to the underground temple his master resided in. To many, it looked like a wall. A regular wall, but to those that knew of the temple knew its significance.

Reaching out, he merged his energy with the structure, slipping through the wall to the other side.

Safely inside, he began to pull away from the shadows, his body forming instantly. Once solid again, he walked down the stone steps towards the main entrance of the large underground temple. His deep blue eyes lit up with joy at the site before him. Oh he so loved walking down these steps, it gave him a clear view of his God Apep.

The statue was huge and made of pure gold. Perched upon a thorn was Apep whose body was that of a human body and the head of a snake. Torches along the stone walls illuminated the golden structure, bathing the stone temple in a golden hue. Shadows dance along the walls. At the foot of the statue were three individuals in white cloaks, worshipping Apep.

On a stone bed behind them lay the bloodied corpse of a man. His head, arms and legs were cut from his body. Each cloaked figure held up parts of the body. The individual on the right held up the severed legs, while the one in the middle held up the head and the one on the left held up the arms, offering them up to their God Apep. Their low, furious chanting reached his ears.

Bowing his head to the Golden statue before continuing on his way, he walked down the last few steps to a door on the left, just before the platform of worshipers. Closing the door behind him, he walked down the dimly lit corridor.

The flickering torches in the corridor illuminated the symbols and writing chiseled into the walls. He walked to what seemed like a dead end to the untrained eye and stopped. Placing his hand on the stone wall, he projected a small dose of energy into the symbols on the wall. The symbols on the walls down the corridor glowed a dark purple before the wall opened, revealing stone steps leading down into darkness.

Without a second thought he descended the stairs into the darkness; a smile on his face. After thousands of years of hiding in the shadows, of having their plans thwarted over and over, of years of frustration things were finally going their way.

With those foolish Youkai out looking for the Book of the Dead the trap had been set.

He walked down the stairs for no more than a minute before he came to large room. In contrast to the cave like design of the underground temple, this room was well lit and tastefully decorated in expensive silks and gold. The flooring was made up of tiles, something rare in Agyptia.

Two rows of white marble pillars, parallel to each other, towered over him as he walked between them, his eyes on the Agyptian seated on the golden throne, two female slaves sitting at each side of his leather sandal clad feet. A long, white ceiling length sheer silk cloth hung before the platform, slightly obscuring his view of the individuals behind the cloth.

He stopped before the stairs leading to the platform and kneeled down on one knee, arms to his side, head bent towards the ground.

"Have you confirmed that child is the one?" The male on the throne asked him.

"Yes, Master, Queen Jamila knows this as well," he said.

"I see," he said smiling, "that is good news indeed,"

Seeing his master was please, he lifted his head and looked up at his master. Master Adofo, his name meaning fighter, was an above average sized Agyptian. Tall and well muscled, he stood at least one head taller than normal Agyptians. Contrary to Agyptian customs, he did not shave his hair, but rather grew it shoulder length. Also contrary to Agyptian culture, he wore black. A black linen kilt covered the lower half of his body. Though he did not dress his entire body in black, just having his kilt in such a color was completely unacceptable.

White was considered a pure color, and only white clothing should grace the body which was why all Agyptians wore white linen clothing. Wearing black was considered to be impure, and was reserved for those that committed crimes, or had been tainted in some way.

It suited Master Adofo well. He was the most tainted being he had ever encountered. He oozed darkness and evil, even his gleaming blue eyes held malice in their depth.

"Have the Youkai made their move?" he asked his master.

"Nay, however I wish for you to give them a little……push. Begin phase one and," he said leaning back smugly in his seat, "when the time comes, you know what you must do. Do not fail me in this,"

"I will not, Master,"

"See that you do not," Adofo said.

"Yes Master,"

"You are dismissed,"

Bowing once more, he stood and left the room, retracing his steps back up to the surface. As the statue of Apep came into sight, he could not help but stop before it. The white cloaked worshipers from earlier had left, having cleaned up the sacred alter of all blood and flesh.

He kneeled before the statue's feet and placed his forehead on the cold hard stone.

"I worship thee with all the hate and evil of my heart. Bestow onto me your touch of darkness, distorted love and unparallel strength in the hopes that I may carry out your will," he said, "In the name of Apep, this is my prayer,"

Standing, he bowed to the statue before turning and walking away. Every time he prayed to his God he felt empowered, as though there was no obstacle he could not over come. With Apep on his side, there was naught he could no do. He would not fail.

OoOoOoOoO

Jikininki and Sounga kneeled before the Pharaoh Bomani, who sat regally on his throne. Of average height and build, he had a confident air about him, almost to the point of arrogance. He had a perfectly toned physique, tanned skin and deep blue eyes enhanced with kohl. His head was completely shaved and he wore a linen kilt embroidered with gold.

"Good morning, Pharaoh Bomani," Sounga said.

"Good morning Pharaoh," Jikininki echoed.

"Lord Jikininki, Lord Sounga! Welcome back my friends!" he said standing and walking towards the males.

Sounga and Jikininki stood as he approached. Touching both men on the shoulders he smiled.

Sounga had to admit that he had not expected the Pharaoh to be so welcoming to them. Even now, it still surprised him. Most small countries such as this were fearful and unwilling to meet with foreigners. Pharaoh Bomani seemed open and willing to meet with them quite often however. Sounga had not been home in nearly a year.

He, Jikininki and their combined army had taken shelter outside of the city until the Pharaoh had volunteered to give them proper housing in the palace. They were to move in tomorrow.

Sounga was glad that things were progressing so quickly. The sooner an alliance could be formed between them the sooner he could return to his mate and sons. He sighed inwardly. He missed Izaoi dearly and hated to leave her for such a long length of time, but this had to be done.

All six of the provinces had agreed upon traveling to Agyptia in order to form an alliance. Agyptia had natural resources, silks, gold, and other such thing that Japan would find useful. There was also rumor of their skills and supernatural powers, Sounga himself had been a witness to their power. It was not something he had ever seen before.

One of the women brought in for entertainment had taken water from a golden goblet and brought the water from the goblet with her powers and manipulated it. She had crystallized the water, making small ice sculptures of different animals and objects. He had seen Youkai able to control water before; however, this woman could create water from nothing. The Youkai he had seen that were water masters had to have or be around water in order to do such things.

There were other similar things these Agyptians could do that even Youkai were not able to recreate, at least not to his knowledge.

Such abilities could potentially used as weapons, and he was sure they had been used as weapons. Considering this, he would rather be on friendly terms with them.

Japan was divided into six provinces; the Midori Clan, the Shiro Clan, the Ao Clan, the Aka Clan, the Kirro Clan, and the Kuro Clan. As the Imperial Province of Japan, the Shiro clan had decided to send Sounga to do the negotiations.

"Come, my friends, I would like you to meet my Queen, Jamila," Pharaoh Bomani said.

"We would be honored, Pharaoh," Jikininki said.

"Atum," he called to one of the mdjai guarding the double stone doors, "Find Khepri and tell her to tell the Queen that there are visitors I would like for her to meet,"

The soldier bowed his head and left.

Sounga had his doubts that the woman would show up. The Queen was obviously wearier of their presence than her husband was. He could not blame the female for her suspicions and doubt, Sounga himself would have had the same feelings had foreigners suddenly showed up in Japan, however he and his clan had come here for an alliance and nothing more. They had not intention of causing trouble or starting a war.

He looked over at Jikininki. He could not say the same for him however. Jikininki of the Kuro clan. The Kuro clan was known for their devious ways and trickery. He had grown up with Jikininki and knew of his somewhat dark nature.

Though for the past decade or so, they seemed to have changed their scheming ways. Sounga was not so easily convinced though. He was sure that the clan still had dirty hands, but he had not been able to prove anything as of yet. But knowing the clan, it was only a matter of time before they made a mistake and then, he could do what he had wanted to do for years.

He would punish all and disband the entire clan, successfully wiping away the blemish of Japan.

Until that day he could do nothing, the laws clearly stated that in order to charge an individual of a crime there had to be evidence.

The Kuro Clan was very apt at hiding their crimes.

The Kuro Clan had volunteered to accompany the Shiro clan on this journey. Had it been up to him, Sounga would have declined, however, the other clans had decided to give the Kuro clan a chance to redeem its self. Sounga could have declined, but that would have made him and his clan look back, and as Clan leader of the Imperial Shiro Clan, reputation was everything.

So he had no choice but to bring them along, and now had the difficult task of keeping an eye on both the Agyptian people as well as the Kuro clan.

Even though the Agyptian people had not given him any reason to distrust them but he also knew that they were at a disadvantage. They were in an unfamiliar country, with unfamiliar customs and people. He would trust no one until the alliance was sighed and in affect.

"While we await my Queen, please, come, have wine and fruit with me. I have provided entertainment and a banquet later this eve," he said as he began to walk towards the double doors, Sounga and Jikininki following.

He led them to a lavish room where three large, fluffy pillows were placed on the floor next to each other. Scantily clad female servant stood by holding bowls of fruits and containers of wine. Thought to Sounga their clothing was scandalous, he understood that the linen skirt and top was what the Agyptian people wore, due to the intense sun and humidity. He himself had had to trade in his silken kimono and hakama for a cotton kimono and hakama.

The three males took seats on the pillows as the females served them wine and fruit while the entertainment began.

To Agyptians, entertainment was mainly acrobatic abilities, fire breathers, and even theater. Some of their more physical entertainment was sports and game, some of which Sounga and his soldier had enjoyed.

A few minutes into the entertainment, however, one of the mdjai approached the Pharaoh and whispered into his ear. Seeming unaware of the hearing of a Youkai's superior hearing, neither Sounga nor Jikininki felt the need to inform him that the whispered words had not gone unknown.

"Queen Jamila has left the palace, master. She has refused to meet the foreigners," he whispered.

The Pharaoh's anger was instant and intense as the mdjai stood by for more orders. Barely able to smile, the Pharaoh turned to his visitors.

"Please excuse me, my friends. It seems I am needed to rectify a pressing situation. Please, enjoy the food, wine and entertainment in my absence," he said before standing, "See that our visitors have everything they need," he said to the mdjai.

"Yes, Master," the mdjai said.

That said, the Pharaoh turned and left, leaving them to their entertainment.

OoOoOoOoO

Bomani walked furiously down the dimly lit stone hallway.

Jamila had gone too far. He was the Pharaoh! She may be the Queen but no one; _**no one **_disobeyed the Pharaoh's direct command! This was the chance of a lifetime! To align themselves with a large country such as Japan was the smartest move they could make. It would give them protection from other countries and keep them from trying to overtake Agyptia.

As he threw open the double doors leading outside, ready to bellow for his carriage, intending to drag Jamila out of that temple, a carriage suddenly trotted up to the palace steps.

Spotting Jamila, he began down the stairs, each step bring him closer and closer to rage. As Jamila stepped from the carriage, their daughter in her arms, Bomani stalked up to her.

"In the palace, _**now**_," he said in a clipped tone, barely able to contain his rage.

Not waiting for a response, he turned and stalked back up the steps, heading towards their bedroom.

Jamila watched him leave. She had seen him this angry before, however that anger had never been directed to her. Cradling her child close to her chest, she ascended the stairs. Why couldn't he just understand that this was a mistake? That allowing these people onto their land would destroy them all. That he would bring great peril because of his stubbornness.

Why was he so blind?

As she entered the palace, Khepri stood nearby, twisting her hands nervously.

"Pharaoh Bomani commanded me to take Princess Kamilah while you and he have a private discussion," she said reaching out for the child.

Jamila hesitated. She dreaded ever releasing her daughter to anyone else, fear that if she did so, she would never see her again, but she dared not stir Bomani's anger anymore than it already was by disobeying. Handing child over reluctantly, she watched as Khepri took her away.

With a strong resolve, she went to face her angry husband.

He was pacing angrily back and forth, stopping only when she closed the door behind her. Jamila gasped as he advanced on her, grabbing her upper arm in a tight grip. Bomani had never before laid hands on her before, but then again, she had never made him this angry before.

"How dare you disobey me Jamila," he said between clenched teeth, "Have you forgotten who I am?"

Jamila gasped as he gave her a hard shake.

"I am not only your husband, but your Pharaoh. You _will _obey me," he hissed.

Jamila flung his hand from her arm. Obey him?! How in the hell was she to obey a man who seemed bent on his land and people? She knew not what devil whispered in his ear but she would not let that same devil whisper in her own ear! She would not let her people suffer because of his foolishness!

"I'll not obey! Not while you act so reckless with the lives of our people! Inviting these foreigners into our land! Calling them friend! I'll not have any part of it!"

"You know not of what you speak woman!"

"I know of what I speak! You are inviting destruction into our country! You will bring Agyptia to its knees!"

Bomani grabbed her arm once more and gave her another shake.

"I will bring this country to glory! Aligning with the men will do naught but help this country! Yet you seek to get in the way of this opportunity! I will not let your foolish mistrust get in the way of that!"

"You are blind!"

"I'll hear no more from you woman," he hissed, bringing her close to his face, "You will obey me or I will lock you away in the dungeon until you can obey me,"

Jamila gasped at his words. She had no doubt he would and no one would question him. He was Pharaoh, and to Agyptians, the Pharaoh was second only to the Gods. Previous Queens had been locked up for less crimes, some even executed. She could not let that happened. She had a daughter she had to protect. If she was locked up or executed, her daughter would be left unprotected and vulnerable.

"Do you understand me Jamila?" he asked angrily.

Jamila stared him down angrily but said nothing; instead, she turned her head.

Releasing her arm, he stepped away.

"You will present yourself tomorrow afternoon to our guest. I have invited them to take residence inside the palace until the alliance has taken affect,"

Jamila opened her mouth, ready to berate him for doing such a foolish thing; however, one look into those blue eyes silenced her. She looked angrily down at the stone floor. He stared at her for a moment before turning and walking out the door. Jamila clinched her fists in angry frustration. What was she supposed to do now?

He was inviting them in to the palace, brining them closer to her daughter.

He would kill them….he would kill them all….

This was unacceptable. She would not let her daughter be a victim to those foreigners. She would protect her ever if her father would not.

OoOoOoOoO

Bomani left the room taking a breath as he walked down the hall. Jamila had never knowingly, freely disobeyed him before. No one had. He had never felt such overwhelming anger in all his life. Perhaps he had been a bit hard on her, perhaps not, it did not matter.

He would not let her screw this up. This was their chance to gain powerful allies; this was not just some foolish decision to bring foreigners into his land just foe the fun of it all. He had spoken extensively with his large panel of advisors. This was a well thought out and conscious decision. He was not making a mistake, nor was he taking foolish chances. He was doing what was right for Agyptia. He was laying the foundations for the future.

The future of Agyptia and its people lay on the line.

If he let Jamila's suspicions and fear run the country he would miss this chance.

No.

He had to do this. He was doing the right thing. He knew it would pay off in the long run. Deciding not to return to his visitors, he turned left down a hall and headed to his study.

He needed time to himself. He could feel the weight of responsibility starting to drag him down. He needed a break from everyone and everything. However, when he opened the door, he saw that his brother and one of his trusted advisors sitting in a chair waiting for him, a bottle of wine in hand.

"Thought you might need it," he said holding up the bottle.

His brother, Hondo, meaning war, was three years his junior, and a bit taller than his older brother. His brother was like Jamila and preferred to keep his hair, which he trimmed to just above his waist and wore a white, gold embroidered kilt. Bomani sighed as he took a seat behind his desk.

"You know me too well," Bomani said as Hondo poured him a drink.

"What troubles you brother?" Hondo asked as he poured himself some wine.

Bomani sighed.

"It is Jamila again; she is convinced that these visitors mean us harm. I can take no more of her blind fear," he said.

"Hmmm,"

Taking a drink of the liquid in his cup, he poured another drink.

"Have you explained to her the situation? Surely she cannot deny that an alliance with Japan will only benefit us in the long run,"

"Yes, it has been explained to her over and over and yet she does not seem to understand, nor does she want to. She has thoroughly convinced herself that they will bring destruction to us all," Bomani said as he drained his cup.

"I see. Do you plan to keep her away from them? I would think her ill will towards them might offend them," Hondo said slumping in his chair.

"Nay, I have already spoken to her. She will meet them and she will behave herself and obey me or I will lock her up in the dungeon until she can obey me,"

Hondo sat up abruptly at that. His brother was not the violent or cruel type.

"Surely you would not really do so?" Hondo asked surprised.

"Nay, but she does not know that," he said taking another drink.

Hondo smiled at that. His brother was all bark and no bite, always had been.

"Yes, well, as long as she does not know that, then it is fine. Such a threat should keep her in line,"

"For now. She has been acting strangely since she visited her grandmother. Her grandmother has told her of great danger surrounding Kamilah,"

"Kamilah? The little Princess?"

"Indeed, I've taken precautions to insure her safety, there is naught to worry about, however, Jamila has become almost crazed in her crusade to protect her from this danger. She suspects everyone and everything as someone trying to bring harm to Kamilah. I do not know what to do with her anymore."

"Well Kamilah is the first successful child she's given birth to. It is only natural that she would be a bit more protective than normal mothers,"

"I understand that, but she goes too far at times. She disobeys me," he said pouring another drink, "she has never done such a thing. No one has ever dared to do such a thing, this you know brother, and yet she does so at every turn. Blatantly, excessively, and without apology,"

"That is very reckless of her. Even if you do not punish her, the people will not hesitate to do so. Any that disrespects the Pharaoh, in turn disrespects the Gods. They will not allow it to be so,"

"I am aware of this," Bomani said as he drained another cup.

Jamila was becoming a problem. In all the years that they had been married, she had not ever disobeyed him, nor shown any sign of rebellion; however she was doing so now. He could not allow her to undermine his authority so blatantly. He would not allow it. Though he had said he would not imprison her in the dungeon he was beginning to think that he would need to rethink that.

He would have to take some action if she continued to defy him.

Bomani sighed. Being Pharaoh was such a heavy burden to bear sometimes. Looking down at his empty cup, he grabbed the bottle of wine and poured another drink.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed!

Laters!

~Sessakag


	3. The Date Has Been Set

_**Chapter Three: **_

_**The Date Has Been Set**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.**_

_**June 16th, 2999 B.C**_

The sun was just beginning to set, cooling the intense heat of the afternoon. Ranka was glad for that. Agyptia was too damn hot. He had no idea how the hell those Agyptians managed to live in this intense heat all their lives. They had only been here for a few months but he was damn well ready to return to Japan. He had had enough of Agyptia.

He sighed. If only his master was not so greedy he would not be here. But his master was his master and he knew that he would not change. He wanted everything. Ranka could understand his ambition, his determination, however, he wished that his master would do some of the hard work as well, not just sit back and maneuver everyone around him as though they were merely puppets on a string. It irritated him at times, being used.

There was no help for it though. His master would have his way.

Ranka ran through the city, jumping from stone building to stone building, his feet barely touching solid ground. As he ran into a marshy swamp area, he leapt from the last building onto the decaying trees of the swamp land.

A branch beneath his booted foot snapped. Ranka quickly leapt to another branch and continued on to the rendezvous point. Standing on a sturdy branch, he scanned the immediate area, looking for any signs of life. The marsh land was dark and quiet as looked around. It was sort of eerie; bring goose bumps to his skin. He wasn't scared exactly, however he was very…._aware_ that there was something lurking around.

Something was watching him. In his peripheral vision, he caught a flash of white. He turned.

Spotting a white cloaked figure a few feet away, he dropped down onto the soft marshy ground. The white cloaked figure turned to face him. His deep blue eyes peering at him from the darkness of the hood, watching him intently. That eerie feeling returned with a vengeance as the man leveled his gaze onto him.

'Those eyes,' Ranka thought to himself as he stared into those depths.

There was something in those eyes; something not quite…normal. For the life of him he could not figure out what about those eyes creped him out. Even his master did not have such a look.

"Welcome," the cloaked Agyptian said removing the hood to reveal his smiling face.

Ranka was not in the mood, nor did he have time for pleasantries; his master was expecting him back within the hour. If he did not deliver the information to his master soon, he had a feeling he would lose more than a finger or two. Pushing down his unease, he confronted the man.

"Do you know where it is?" Ranka asked the man impatiently.

"Are we not the impatient one?" he said, the smile on his tanned face widening.

"Dammit, tell me what you know. There is no time for games. If we are to do this it must be soon. Your Pharaoh and Lord Sounga are close to coming to an agreement. We must act fast," Ranka said irritably.

Smile gone, the Agyptian male crossed his arms.

"I will agree with you on that. Time is of the essence. You will find the Book with the child," said the Agyptian.

"The child?" Ranka asked.

"Yes, in order for this to work, you must have the Book and Princess Kamilah,"

"The Pharaoh's daughter? Are you mad?!" Ranka exclaimed.

Such an act could bring about devastating consequences for all of Japan. From what he had heard, the Pharaoh and his Queen were quite fond of their little girl, especially since she was the first to be carried to term unlike her older siblings that had perished before birth.

"It is the only way. She is connected to the Book. If you do not have her, the Book will be useless to you," the Agyptian said, "You will have to kidnap her,"

Ranka leaned back away from the man in surprise. Kidnap Princess Kamilah? Would his master go that far? And even if he could, how in the hell were they supposed to get close enough to the little girl to take her, let a lone leave Agyptia with her?

"The time to take her will arrive in seven days time. Be ready in seven days," the Agyptian said as he pulled his hood up and over his shaved head once more.

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"You will see," he said as he began to fish into the sleeve of his white cloak, putting Ranka on instant guard.

He trusted no one. The man was still an Agyptian, who was to say that he would not have change of heart and decide not to betray his country to foreigners? Ranka would take no chances.

"Fear me not," the Egyptian said, seeing Ranka tense up, "Take this to your master. It is for his eyes only," he said holding out a scroll.

Ranka took the scroll from the man and put it into a pocket in the sleeve of his clothing.

"That is all for now," the man said as he began to step away, his body becoming transparent.

Before Ranka could ask another question, the cloaked male disappeared. Ranka sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. Things just got a bit more complicated.

Turning, he headed to the Pharaoh's Palace to pass on the vital information he had received. As he retraced his steps out of the marshy land and back to the city, Ranka mulled over all he had learned, which was not much. How in the hell were they going to get Princess Kamilah out of Agyptia and into Japan without someone stopping them?

And exactly what was to happen in seven days time?

The scroll in his pocket was burning a whole in his clothing. He wondered what it contained, ached to reach into his pocket, withdraw the document and read its content. He shook his head. His master would not be pleased if he did such a thing.

Though he was curious as hell, he would think no more on it. It was not his place to try and figure such things out. He was to take and follow orders and nothing more. He leapt up into the air and landed quietly atop the roof of the palace, looking out for any of the patrolling mdjai. It was not a crime for him to be at the palace since both Lord Sounga and his master had been invited into the palace as temporary sleeping quarters, however, he would not want there to be any connection between him and his master should the rendezvous between him and the Agyptian be discovered.

If he incriminated his master in anyway it would surely be the end of him.

And that end would come in a slow and painful way, so for his sake and his master's, he would be extremely careful not to be seen. He stepped silently and carefully along the roof of the large palace, ducking down into the shadows whenever one of the mdjai turned and peered up at the roof.

Once he stood atop the roof of his master's rooms, he edge over to the balcony. Hanging onto the edge of the roof he looked down at the balcony. The balcony doors leading inside were open, and light spilled from the glass doors. Letting go of the edge, he dropped down onto the balcony and quickly ducked inside.

The room was large and very well lit by candles and a small hearth. The interior was expensively decorated in white and gold. A large canopy bed was the most eye catching. The entire bed frame was made of gold; pure, solid gold. More gold than Ranka had ever seen at once in his entire life. Ranka was envious of the luxurious room.

His master, Jikininki stood impatiently waiting for him. He and Lord Sounga were to meet Queen Jamila and Prince Kamilah in less than an hour. He was dressed in his finest cotton kimono and hakama. The kimono was a black with white trimming, the Kuro clan symbol embroidered in white on the back of the kimono.

His dark hair was up in a neat high ponytail, giving a clear view of his handsome pale face. His crimson eyes locked onto Ranka expectantly.

Kneeling, Ranka bowed his head in respect.

"I have returned from the meeting with the Agyptian, my Lord. I was not followed," he said before his master could ask, "He has passed along some interesting information and some possible complications to your plans," Ranka said.

"Complications?" Jikininki asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes master. It seems we need the child, Princess Kamilah in order to use the Book. If we do not have her, the Book is useless,"

Jikininki's eyes widened slightly. He paced away from the servant, his minding turning over this new information. The child? Of all the things he had expected, he had not expected this. What did that child have to do with the Book? Or better yet, how were they to obtain the child? From what his spies had reported to him, Queen Jamila barely left the child for more than a few minutes a day.

How were they to take her with the child's mother always looming over the girl?

It mattered not at the moment. Later tonight he would develop a course of action. For now, he would hear what else the male had to say.

He turned back to Ranka.

"Was there more?" he asked Ranka.

"Yes, master. The Agyptian stated to me that something will happen seven days from now. That the time to take her will arrive in seven days time,"

"Seven days?"

"Yes, master, though he would not tell me what exactly. He gave me a scroll to hand to you. He said the scroll was for your eyes only," Ranka said reaching into the pocket of his clothing and retrieving the scroll, "For you, sir,"

Jikininki took the scroll and opened it. Ranka sat silently as crimson eyes read over the document. Minutes ticked by, Ranka watched his master quietly. Finally, he rolled the scroll closed, a smile on his face. As he walked over to the blazing fire in the hearth, he began to laugh. Ranka watched him, confused as to what his master found so funny.

"I see," Jikininki said almost to himself as he tossed the rolled paper into the fire, "So that is the way of it?"

Ranka said nothing, knowing better than to interrupt his master's train of thought. There was no way of guessing. His master was a very strange man.

"Very well then," Jikininki said, "Ranka,"

Ranka stood.

"Sir,"

"I have…special instructions for you. They are to be carried out immediately,"

"Yes sir,"

Minutes later; with orders given by his master, Ranka turned and left the way he had come in. As he ran along the roof tops of the palace and into the city, he could not shake his unease. He was not so sure about his new orders.

Carrying out these orders would change many lives forever, his included. Though he had taken a vow to serve Lord Jikininki without question as the other soldiers had, he could not help but feel the wrongness of the situation he had been placed in. If he did this, he would be forever changed. If he did this his hands would forever be stained with blood.

He knew that he was no saint, he had done many terrible deeds, had hurt many individuals all in the name of power and glory.

Though he had dirtied his hands, he knew in his heart that he was not a true devil. He did not know if he could do this. He did not know if he could continue to turn a blind eye to his master's excessive greed.

OoOoOoOoO

Jamila sat at the large vanity mirror. As she applied kohl to her eyes with her finger, Khepri combed her hair with a gold encrusted comb. Jamila's nerves were completely shot. Once she had applied the kohl and cleaned her finger, she went back the wringing her hands. She was so scared. Her heart was pounding so hard she feared it would burst from her chest.

She was to meet the foreigners in five minutes and she hated it. She had tried once more to try and get Bomani to see reason, to keep her and their child safe from the foreigners. But it was not to be so. Bomani had made up his mind and would not be swayed.

As Khepri finished her hair she stood and began to pace. She had to wait to until Bomani came and escorted her to the meeting.

She felt panicked, trapped; as if she were to meet her executioner in but a moment.

Gods help her there was no way out of this.

She had prayed do hard this morning, for some miracle, some divine intervention to stop this madness and send away the demons her husband had invited into their lives.

Khepri watched her Mistress walk back in forth, agitation blazing in each step.

"Mistress, please do not worry so, surely the Pharaoh would not let those foreigners harm his people," Khepri said.

Jamila stopped, turning to face Khepri. She could not remember ever seeing such a look on her beautiful face before. It was one of fear, of anger and something else she could not define.

"I cannot stop worrying," Jamila said fiercely, "The man will not listen to reason, and he is hell bent on destroying this country. He plays with those…those _heathen devils_ that do not even believe in Amun-ra! They are barbarians and yet he has invited them in as if they were one of us; putting the lives of not only his people and his wife in jeopardy but his own daughter!"

Jamila turned away from Khepri and paced over to one of the open windows, staring fiercely out at the darkening sky.

"Maybe he does not care that she is in danger," Jamila said softly, almost to herself, "After all, men want sons not daughters,"

"You go too far, Jamila," said a deep voice.

Jamila turned in surprise to see her husband standing in the door way, looking at her with angry blue eyes. She could feel his extreme displeasure from across the room.

"You would dare question my love for my child,"

Khepri looked from the Pharaoh to the Queen. She had never before been in such a situation before, but then again she had never seen her Master and Mistress openly argue like this. The tension between the two was indescribable.

She felt trapped between two angry and hungry beasts of the dessert.

"I would dare," Jamila hissed, "I would dare speak the truth,"

The silence was deafening. Khepri had never been so uncomfortable in her entire life. She did not know if she should leave or stay. Leaving on her own did not seem like a good idea to her. She was a servant, and as such she was not to go anywhere without permission from her Mistress or Master.

But if she stayed then she would feel as though she were eavesdropping, listening to a clearly private conversation between husband and wife, like she was intruding. It seemed like a lose-lose situation to her.

"You go too far, Jamila," he said again.

"I go as far as you do, dear husband," she said angrily, "You will be the downfall of Agyptia, mark my words!"

Reaching out, Bomani grabbed Jamila by the upper arm, his grip tight and punishing. Jamila gasped in pain, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

"You will watch your tongue or have it cut from your wretched mouth!" he thundered.

Khepri stood completely shocked by the show of aggression on the Pharaoh's part. He was always so cheerful and friendly, she had never seen this side of him before, let alone known such a side existed within the Pharaoh. It scared her. They both seemed to be different people now. Had the foreigners been the cause of their strange behaviors? What dark magic did they weave?

"I have had enough," Bomani continued to shout, giving his wife a little shake, "You will disobey me no longer!"

Angrier than she could ever recall seeing her Mistress, Khepri watched as she wrenched her arm from her husband and paced over to the window once more, turning her back to her husband.

Bomani let out a large puff of frustrated air, rubbing a hand over his face. A quick as his temper had come, it left, leaving him deflated and tired.

"I know not what makes you defy me so. I know not why you will not give this a chance," he said after a long pause.

Jamila remained stubbornly silent.

"What is it you want from me, Jamila?" he asked softly.

Jamila lowered her head and took a breath. All her anger, all her frustration shifting; changing into desperation. She clutched the windowsill tightly, her heart clenching. What did she want from him?

She wanted him to get rid of those strangers. She wanted him to heed her warnings. She wanted him to understand and appreciate the situation they were currently in. She wanted him to think not of himself and what he thought was right, but what was right for the people of Agyptia. But most of all she wanted…..

She wanted……

Her vision began to blur. Jamila fiercely fought back the tears. She turned suddenly, her glistening blue-green eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I want you to protect our daughter," she said to him, "I just want you to protect her,"

Bomani sighed. Jamila was so protective and fearful for their child. He could understand her feelings. Having loss some many children before birth, it made sense that she would be more protective of the one that made it to birth.

Despite what Jamila thought, he did love his daughter. He loved her with all his heart and soul. She did not seem to understand that she had not been the only one that felt the pain of losing those children. They had been his children as we. He had mourned them as deep as she had, had cried when their bodies had been laid to rest in their tombs.

So how could she sit there and say that he did not love his child?

It was ludicrous.

"I have always and will always protected my child and I always will, Jamila, you know this," he said.

Jamila looked away. Bomani sighed again.

"We will speak of this later, it is time to go," he said turning and stepping from the room, Jamila silently following.

Khepri let out a breath of relief as the door closed behind them. She hoped never to see such a thing again. As she began to clean up the vanity, she silently prayed to the Gods to remove the foreigners and restore the relationship between the Pharaoh and his Queen that was beginning to fall apart.

OoOoOoOoO

Bomani walked down the hall, Jamila following him silently. What in the hell was going on? He and Jamila had never fought before in all the years they had been married. Not once, and now it seemed as thought they could not stop.

He refused to believe that the "foreigners" as his wife called them, were the reason for it.

The true reason was her fear of losing her child as well as her fear of change, of something new. His people were known for such a fear.

If it was not traditional or familiar it was evil.

To Bomani, this mind set had caused more harm than good to his people, limiting them as a society. Sometimes change could be good, it could bring benefits and privileges not before available. That was for damn sure in this circumstance. He had explained to her over and over the huge advantage of having powerful allies and yet she would not hear of it; her fear taking boiling to the surface every time he tried to explain.

She was the one that was blind; blinded by fear and ignorance, not him.

He would not let her fear control him. They would press on and she could either walk with him or be walked over, either way this alliance would happen. She would have to get over it and make the best of it.

He stopped at a door and opened it, stepping inside the nursery.

Like all rooms of the palace, the room was exquisitely decorated in white and gold, and larger than most Agyptian peasant's entire house. A large hearth roared with a warm fire, a small, thick wooden gate blocking the open fire to keep Princess Kamilah from venturing too close to the heat. A cradle made of gold and gems sat a few feet away from the hearth, the inside packed with feathers and other such materials to make it soft and comfortable.

Next to the cradle was a matching table, also packed with soft furs and feathers, the table was used to change Princess Kamilah.

Toys of different shapes and sizes took up the entire space left over.

The caretaker, Bahiti, whose name meant fortune, was currently seated on a large white, fluffy rug, playing with Kamilah.

Bomani could not hide his smile as his daughter spotted him and began to excitedly crawly over to him; her arms and legs moving as fast as they could. As she reached his feet, he bent down and picked her up.

He smiled as she immediately began to reach up to touch his bald head, no doubt searching for something to pull. Having been around her mother most of the time, Kamilah had gone into the hair pulling stage early. Her mother had a wealth of hair to pull, and the little girl took full advantage of that fact quite often.

Bomani nuzzled the soft skin of his daughter's cheek, bringing a squeal of delight to her lips.

Bahiti stood from her place on the rug and bowed. Looking up at the two, she could tell something was not right between the two. Jamila stood in the doorway looking down at the floor with saddened eyes.

Usually, the young Queen was bustling with energy and had on a ready smile for her little Princess. Where was that smile today she wondered; though she had good idea where it had gone.

The entire palace was aware of the couple's marital problems; it seemed to be the only thing anyone could talk about. Some were happy to see the couple arguing. Since the death of Bomani's father and the previous Queen there had been nothing to gossip about. The previous Pharaoh and Queen had argued just about every day of their marriage, feeding the gossip hungry servants and peasants with juicy tales. They had been the complete opposite of the present Pharaoh and Queen.

Then there were others that were generally concerned for the young couple. Many of them were worried that so much unrest between the two would anger the Gods. Being the Pharaoh meant that the man was second only to the Gods. If they sensed his displeasure, they were sure all would suffer.

And last were those who believed that the foreigners had caused the rift in the relationship. Those were the people that Bahiti worried about the most.

There was talk of a group of Agyptians that were planning on forcefully removing the foreign guests from their country. Bahiti knew that such a thing could be taken as an act of war on the part of Agyptia, and the Japanese would retaliate in full force and if that happened their beloved country would be no more. There was no way they could withstand an attack from such a large and advanced country. They would be wiped out within days.

Putting those troubling thoughts away, she focused on her Master and Mistress.

"Welcome, Master, Mistress," she said respectfully.

"Thank you, Bahiti," Bomani said as he straightened out Kamilah's little white linen dress, "The meeting is to occur now, I will bring back Kamilah when it is over, you are to put her to bed at once upon return,"

"Yes, master,"

Turning, the couple left, closing the door behind them. In the hall, Bomani handed his daughter over to her mother. Jamila took the child silently, her eyes saddened. Kamilah, oblivious to the situation began a string of giggles and baby talk as she pulled on a fist full of hair.

Bomani said nothing as he turned and continued down the hall.

Jamila hesitated only a moment before following, her child locked in a death grip. She wanted to turn and run; runaway from everyone and everything with her daughter. Her heart was pounding, her body numb. Her stomach turned and for one panicked moment she thought that she would vomit.

Taking a breath, she followed her husband to the foreigners.

OoOoOoOoO

Sounga sat at the desk provided by the Pharaoh, dozens of candles illuminated the room, though he had told the Agyptians that he could see just as well in the dark as he did in the light, they had still insisted he have the candles. Not wanting to offend anyone, he had accepted the candles.

Even though he did not need them, he had to admit; with the gold coverings they were very beautiful.

Looking at them made him think of Izaoi. He had a feeling she would love such a thing for their own palace. He would have to ask for a few of them to take back with him.

Dipping his utensil in the container of black ink, he continued writing his report, speaking the words in his mind as he wrote them.

'_An alliance has not yet been made at this time; however, there is a great chance that one will be created within the week. We have been invited to take up residence in the palace as honored guests._

_The Agyptians seem to be friendly and in no way hostile. Though there are many cultural differences, they have been patient and understanding and have explained many of the traditions of their land. They seem receptive to our way of life as well, and have plans to incorporate ideas from Japan to better their own land._

_I am also open to suggestions from them as they seem to be a very intelligent and structured race of individuals._

_I will share these suggestions with all clan leaders upon my return; however, I do not know when I will return. I am hopeful that it will be no longer than another six months. If we cannot come to an alliance before that time, we will return to Japan, regroup and return in another six months._

_Today, Jikininki and I are to meet the Queen, Jamila. She has not been very receptive of our arrival and has avoided us as much as possible. She is fearful and untrusting of all of us. I am pretty certain that this meeting was accepted reluctantly on her part._

_There have been rumors of discontentment between Pharaoh Bomani and Queen Jamila due to her lack of trust and fear. This could potentially pose a problem._

_We do not know how much sway she has over Pharaoh Bomani, but if she has enough sway, she could possibly influence his decision regarding the alliance. We have no way of combating such a disadvantage. Our best bet is to make a good impression upon her and try and gain trust, though such a task will be extremely taxing._

_We hope to win her over at the meeting and let her see that we mean no harm to her, her child, her country or her people. My sources have told me that she is extremely protective of her daughter who is the only one out of several children to make it to birth._

_Queen Jamila seems to think that we have come here to either take her child from her or harm the girl in some way which is completely ridiculous. I have no clue where she got such an idea; however, we will try and quell her fears and gain her trust._

_This is the official report of Lord Sounga of the Shiro Clan.'_

With the letter for the other clan members completed, Sounga reached over and grabbed a bag next to one of the candles. Reaching inside, he grabbed a fistful of sand and slowly poured it over the wet ink. Once the ink was completely covered he folded the scroll slightly and poured the sand back into the pouch and sat the scroll aside to dry.

That done, he grabbed another blank scroll and began to write another letter.

_My beloved Izaoi, being away from you is like hell on earth. I know not how long I will be in this country, however when I return I wish for you to be the first person I see. _

_I wish that I could have brought you along to see Agyptia, but with this country being unfamiliar and Japan's less than stable relationship with Agyptia, I was not willing to risk your safety. _

_When the alliance is solid and stable I wish to bring you here and let you see this beautiful country. I am positive you would love it here, although it may take you a while to get used to the heat. As I am writing this letter there are candles incased with gold sheaths, they give a golden glow to the room. Looking at it made me think of you, and how much you would love to have something like it at our own palace._

_I will try and secure one or two for you._

_How are the boys? Is InuYasha behaving? Is Sesshomaru taking care of the clan in my absence? I severely hope so.'_

A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter," he said.

The door opened and one of the mdjai walked in. He bowed.

"Sir, it is time to meet the Queen and Princess Kamilah," he said.

"Understood," Sounga said, "I will be out momentarily,"

With a nod the mdjai straightened and left the room, closing the door behind him. He must have lost track of time. Sounga looked over at the open window. The sun was nearly gone from the sky. He had indeed lost track of time. Sounga turned back to his letter and began to write once more.

'_I am to meet the Queen and the Princess Kamilah now so I will have to cut this letter short this time. _

_I love you,_

_Sounga.'_

Reaching into the pouch, he grabbed a fistful of sand once more and poured it onto the letter, before folding it slightly and letting the sand slide back into the pouch. Once done, he sat it down to dry and stood up from the desk, straightening his kimono and hakama as he did so.

He walked to the door and opened it. The mdjai from before stood waiting for him. Without a word, he turned and walked down the hall. Sounga followed.

As they walked, Sounga though of all the things he could do to get Queen Jamila on their side, but after talking with some of the Agyptians, he knew that pretty words and sweet talk would get them no where.

Queen Jamila was not easily swayed. He worried that there was nothing they could do to secure her support for the alliance and as stated in his official report, there was no way to know if she held a significant amount of sway over Pharaoh Bomani.

He certainly hoped not. He knew how persuasive a woman could be. Izaoi could tell him to leap from a cliff and he would probably do so. He smiled as he though of her. His sweet Izaoi would never tell him to do such a thing. She was too kind, too loving to say such a thing.

He sighed.

He hoped his sons were behaving. Those two could be a handful, and Sesshomaru had only just begun behaving civilly with Izaoi which he was glad for. His eldest son was a hard nut to crack, and though he tried to show everyone an unemotional façade, he felt emotions deeper than most. If he were truly unemotional he would not have hated his brother, step mother and father for so long.

But he would not point that out to his son. He was sure Sesshomaru would rather die than admit that there was any truth to what Sounga thought. That was fine with Sounga though, he knew the truth and that was all that mattered, well at least to him.

Knowing that his son was not without emotion was good news. For years he had feared that Sesshomaru truly had no emotions.

As they turned into a dimly lit corridor, Sounga was on his guard, placing a hand on his sword. Even though the Pharaoh had brought him in as an honored guest, he knew better than to assume that it was safe here. As far as he was concerned this was still enemy territory until that alliance was signed and dried.

He looked forward at the mdjai. The man was armed with a sword and dagger. It would be easy for him to turn around and slash his throat.

Maybe he was being a little paranoid, but experience had taught him that a healthy dose of fear and paranoia was good for survival. He had not survived this long by trusting everyone and everything so easily.

As they walked, Sounga saw a man walking towards them. This man was an Agyptian, however, unlike most Agyptians; he had not completely shaved his head. In fact, his hair was in a long, waist length braid resting on his right shoulder. He wore a white linen kilt embroidered with gold trimmings, and his eyes were coated in kohl. He was of royal blood judging from the abundant amount of jewelry covering his body.

He seemed familiar.

The mdjai kneeled on one knee, bowing his head.

"You must be Lord Sounga of the Shiro Clan in Japan," the tanned man said.

"Yes, I am. Have we met, sir?" Sounga asked.

Sounga was not sure if he should address the man as 'sir' however he knew he was damn well not going to address him as 'master'. He had no master and never would have one. He was aware that that was the proper way to speak to someone of royal blood in Agyptia; however, he just could not make his lips form those words.

"No, we have not," the man said, "I am Hondo, Bomani's younger brother,"

"A pleasure to meet you at last," Sounga said.

And he meant it. He had not been able to meet the younger brother of the Pharaoh in the months that they had been here.

From what Bomani said, Hondo often wandered off for months on end. Being the younger of the two, he was not bound by responsibility as his older brother was. Though he was an advisor to Bomani, there were plenty of advisors to fill his place a hundred times over, so he was never really missed at all.

Bomani seemed quite fond of his little brother, openly speaking of the man at times, telling stories of their childhood together and how much trouble the two used to get into as young boys. It reminded him of his own two sons, except they were getting into the wrong kind of trouble. The almost killing each other kind of trouble.

"You as well," Hondo said with a smile, his blue eyes twinkling, "I hope you are enjoying your stay here, my Lord,"

"Yes, I am enjoying it very much. There are so many things here that are new to me. This has been an experience I will not soon forget,"

"I am glad to hear that," he said, "I will not keep you as I am sure you are ready to meet the Queen and Princess. Fare thee well for now, Lord Sounga. I hope to see you again soon," he said as he began to walk pass them.

"As do I," he Sounga said as the man disappeared down the way they had come.

The mdjai stood up from the floor.

"This way, my Lord," he said to Sounga.

Sounga followed as the mdjai led him deeper into the dimly lit corridor.

* * *

_**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! For those that are reading, please take a sec to review. **_

_**Laters**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	4. Jamila's Decision

_**Chapter Four:**_

_**Jamila's Decision**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.**_

Sounga followed the mdjai into a large room. The room was large and well lit by hundreds of candles. On the stone floors were fluffy white pillows, more than usual. The pillows were a pure white trimmed in gold. Sounga was once more amazed at the amount of gold the Agyptians used just for decorating purposes.

Sounga assumed they were for the safety of Princess Kamilah. The rest of the room was draped in white silks and gold. There had to be a couple of mines located somewhere in the small country to be able to use so much gold so flippantly.

Jikininki was already seated amongst the pillows, his crimson eyes watching Sounga with that unsettling, calculating look that he always regarded him with.

Sounga said nothing as he took a seat next to the male. Jikininki seemed to be inclined to maintain silence as well.

Sitting next to him, Sounga had the feeling that Jikininki was in a good mood. His aura had an almost accomplished feel to it. He was no expert at feelings, nor was he any good at reading the feelings of others, however, the small bit that Izaoi had taught him made him somewhat adequate.

He could sense Jikininki's lighter mood due to the fact that it was a dramatic change.

He was usually not so cheery. Malice and deep rooted anger would have been the best way to describe his normal aura. He could barely even sense the malice or deep hatred usually radiating from the male.

Sounga did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Only time would tell.

Two double doors opened, and two mdjai filed into the room gaining both males attention.

"Presenting Pharaoh Bomani, Queen Jamila, and Princess Kamilah," said one of the Mdjai.

Pharaoh Bomani entered the room looking as regal and well groomed as always, behind him a dark haired woman with a small child in her arms followed.

The woman was incredibly beautiful and completely terrified. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, shifting from male to male in obvious distrust and weariness. From his position on the pillow, he could see they way she trembled.

Before, he had thought the woman was being a bit of a bitch and pretending to fear them to an extreme level, but looking at her now, Sounga had no doubt in his mind that she was truly in fear of them. Her blue eyes shifted back and forth; over to him then to Jikininki, to the mdjai exiting the room and then to Sounga. She met those amber eyes for but a moment before quickly looking else where.

As the family of three entered the room and headed over to the pillows, both Sounga and Jikininki bowed their heads slightly in a show of respect and greeting.

"Welcome my friends," Pharaoh Bomani said as he took a seat on a large, white fluffy pillow, Queen Jamila taking a seat next to him.

"We thank you for having us," Jikininki said with a smile, fangs gleaming.

The smile seemed to unsettle the Queen. Seeing the flash of fangs she drew her wiggling child closer to her chest. Sounga wondered for a brief second if the little girl could breathe. Queen Jamila did not seem to notice that she was smothering her daughter. Princess Kamilah, however, was not content with being suffocated against her mother's bosom.

With her little hands pressed against her mother's chest, Princess Kamilah pushed against her mother's grip, sounds of irritation coming from her mouth. Jamila seemed unable or unwilling to loosen her grip. The struggle drew the attention of the Pharaoh.

Though Sounga pretended not to notice the struggle, Bomani did not.

Bomani looked over at Jamila with a distinct look in his blue eyes. Jamila returned the look, her blue eyes ablaze with fearful anger.

"Loosen your hold on her, Jamila, so that our friends can see her and she can see them," he said softly, anger and embarrassment at her behavior heavily saturated his words.

Jamila closed her eyes a moment, as if to collect her self before releasing her grip and turning the child to face the two males.

Thrilled to see new face, a smile was quick to break out on the little girls face. She was a beautiful child much like her mother, but her eyes were what drew both male's attention. Her eyes were a strange light hue of blue. They had never seen such an eye color, her eyes were any icy blue, nearly white but as a smile broke out over the little girls lips her eyes seemed to darken in color; switching from icy blue to a sky blue.

Her hair was jet black and curly, her skin tanned even at her early age. She wore a short sleeved gown made of linen and trimmed in gold and small well crafted sandals, a rarity among the peasant children. Usually, in Agyptia, children remained nude until puberty.

"This is my daughter, Kamilah," Bomani said as Jamila sat the excited girl down in her lap,"and my wife, Queen Jamila,"

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Sounga said, smiling at both mother and child, "We are happy to finally meet you both,"

Jamila said nothing. Instead she looked away, off to the side, her lips tight, eyes wide with fearful anger. Bomani was not at all pleased with the blatant rudeness on her part. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. Even though this meeting was in an informal setting, Bomani did not seem to be the type to rebuke his female in front of guests.

However, judging from the look in his eyes, she would later regret her rudeness. Even though she was scare of them, even Sounga knew that hospitality, and being a good host or hostess when you had guests was essential because it was also that way in Japan.

It was one social law the two countries shared.

It was an unspoken social law but it was a law all the same. One of the more important laws of social mingling. It was not to be so carelessly broken and Jamila had done just that.

An awkward silence filled the room. A string of baby talk broke the uncomfortable air. Sounga realized that the little girl was talking to him, reaching out with a small tanned hand.

"She is quite the talker," Sounga said as he turned his attention to the child.

He retracted his claws and reached out, offering a finger to the grasping hand. He tried not to look at the almost stricken female holding the child. She reacted as though death itself were touching her child's hand.

"Yes, she enjoys talking. Her words are not yet words, but she tries," Bomani said with a loving smile, his ire with Jamila momentarily forgotten as he spoke of his daughter, "She tries every now and then to stand and has even gone as far as taking a few steps with the help of the palace walls,"

It was obvious from his tone and facial expression that he was very fond of his child. Sounga could relate. When his sons had been Kamilah's age he had been as infatuated with them both. In his eyes, they had been perfect.

"You mention that you had children as well," Bomani said, "Two sons if I am not mistaken,"

"Yes," Sounga said as Kamilah tugged on his finger in a fit of baby chatter, "Sesshomaru is my eldest son; he had just celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday before I left home. My youngest, InuYasha is soon to celebrate his nineteenth birthday in a few months,"

"I did not realize they were so young,"

"Though they would say otherwise, they are still pups," Sounga said with a smile.

Thinking of his two sons almost made him laugh aloud. He could see the indignation on Sesshomaru's face, and could hear the loud, bold denial on InuYasha's mouth. His heart clenched as the little girl smiled back at him, his fingers still held captive by her soft hand. He missed his sons. They were too big for hugs and kisses but just being around them, being able to speak with them gave him the same feeling of being hugged by one of them.

"What of you, Jikininki?" Bomani asked,"Do you have children?"

Jikininki turned his attention to Bomani. Having been content with sitting quietly and watching the conversation with that calculating look, Sounga had almost forgotten he was there. He seemed to be preoccupied and that worried Sounga.

When Jikininki was so distracted like that, it usually meant he was planning, scheming. What twisted plot was being formed in his mind, Sounga had no idea. He had a feeling that whatever it was would be as evil as the male creating it. He would have to watch his back. Jikininki was behind more than a dozen assassination attempts on his life. Sounga knew it; however, with no evidence to prove it, there was no way Jikininki could be convicted.

Sounga was well aware of Jikininki's hatred of him and how bad he wanted him dead. This was the perfect opportunity to be rid of him. They were in an unknown country, Jikininki could be rid of him and of course blame it on the Agyptian people.

There was no way to guess when it came to Jikininki.

"Nay, not yet. I have yet to take a mate,"

"By mate you refer to a wife?" Bomani asked.

"Yes, I suppose so,"

"Ahhh, I see," Bomani said with a smile, "I hope to see you mated soon then, my friend. Children are a wonderful joy. They…"

Sounga tuned the conversation between Bomani and Jikininki out as Kamilah climbed down from her mother's lap and began to crawl towards Sounga. Despite the panicked look on Jamila's face, he picked the little girl up as she crawled onto his knee.

As soon as she was up in his arms she went straight for his hair. Sounga braced himself for the hair pulling that was surely to come. His sons had gone through that stage and he could only assume that Kamilah was in the same stage. To his surprise, she did not pull but rather patted his hair as if he were a soft puppy.

Sounga felt somewhat put out by that. His hair was extremely soft and fine and he blamed Izaoi for that. The shampoo she made for him kept his hair soft and shiny like a woman's hair. Though his hair was fine without it, he used the shampoo solely because she had made it.

He sighed mentally. Well, better she pet his hair than pull it he reasoned.

"You pet me as if I am a small puppy," Sounga said to the child.

Turning blue eyes from his shiny silver hair to his amber eyes, Kamilah clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face as she spoke more baby talk.

Sounga smiled. She was adorable, there was no denying that. It made him wish for his own little girl to spoil. He had no idea how well the subject of another child would go over with Izaoi. Though InuYasha was the only child between them, Sesshomaru being born from a previous mating, Izaoi treated him as a second son.

She had become his mate nearly twenty years ago. Things had been a bit rocky at the beginning, Sesshomaru had been a young teenager back then and had not possessed the solid control he had now over his emotions.

From the moment he had met Izaoi he had hated her. Hated her with a passion and had not hesitated to remind her that she was his second mate, that Sounga had loved another long before she had ever arrived, every chance he got. His son had been down right vicious and cruel. He was that way now, but it had been a shock coming from one so young.

A flash of movement caught him off guard, bringing an abrupt stop to his thoughts. One minute, he was hold Princess Kamilah, and the next she was being yanked from his arms.

It was Jamila.

Jamila pulled her daughter from the foreigners arms harder than she had intended to, bruising the little girl's sides with her fear driven grip. The child instantly erupted into tears, her loud crying filling the room. The candles flickered in reaction.

She had endured and endured and endured and she would endure no more! That filthy foreigner defiling her daughter with his dirty demon hands, Jamila would have no more of it!

"No more!" Jamila said standing, pressing the screaming child to her bosom.

"Jamila, "Bomani started, his tanned face turning red with anger and embarrassment.

"Nay, husband! I'll not let this go on any longer! You are mad!" she screamed angrily, her grip on Kamilah tightening, "You are mad to let these foreigners in our home!"

Bomani stood in anger.

"I've had enough of your nonsense, Jamila! Mdjai!"

Jamila's eyes widened as a dozen mdjai burst in the room, weapons drawn. Her heart began to pound as she replayed his threat to lock her away in her head. Jamila took a panicked step back, Kamilah's screams stinging her ears.

"I'll take no more of your disrespect to me our guest," Bomani said, "Mdjai, take my daughter back to her room and escort Jamila to the dungeon,"

The mdjai looked surprised to be given such an order but put their weapons away and began to advance on the distressed mother and daughter.

Sounga stood.

"There is no need for this Pharaoh Bomani, we do not wish to cause any trouble between you and your wife," he said.

"You lie!" Jamila screamed at him, her entire body shaking with rage as the mdjai backed her up against the wall, "I know you came here to turn my daughter into some evil creature in order to suit your own nefarious ambitions!"

The candles of the room began to flicker wildly; the air became charged and choking. Jikininki kept his face blank, averting his eyes slightly to keep her from seeing the emotion in them.

How in the hell did she know that?

No one knew of his pans! No one! Unless someone had betrayed him but he did not know who would be so foolish as to cross him. It had to have been someone close enough to him, someone that had been informed of the real reason he was here. But who? Who was the man that had a death wish?

His eyes narrowed in thought. It may have been…

"Queen Jamila," Sounga began,"I assure you, we have not come here to-"

"Lies!" she screamed, her blue eyes beginning to glow an eerie blue.

The mdjai stopped, knowing what such a change meant.

Seeing the change in her eyes and the air in the room, Bomani pinned Jamila with a hard glare.

"Do not," he warned, "You will regret it,"

"I'll not listen to you!" she said, her voice shaking with emotion, "You have been blinded by their false friendly disposition and I'll not be blinded with you!"

"Cease her!" Bomani said.

As the mdjai began to close in once more, Jamila raised a golden glowing hand. With her child pressed against her chest, she let loose a blast of golden energy. The mdjai screamed as they were blown across the room, bursting through the stone wall, landing in the next room. The light blinded Sounga and Jikininki momentarily.

Seeing them distracted, Jamila took off. Her heart pounded, her breath hitching in her lungs as she thundered down the stone corridor. Kamilah's screaming was giving her headache, she couldn't think. She had no idea where she was going, what she was doing.

She was so confuse, so scared.

"It's okay, my love," she said to Kamilah, "Mother will protect you,"

Her mind was working at triple speed. She had to find a way out of the palace but how? The palace was swamped with mdjai. Their loyalty was to the Gods first, the Pharaoh second and lastly her. There was no way in hell they would let her get away, even if she ordered them to. There had to be another way to get out.

The whole layout of the palace brought itself to the forefront of her mind. The gardens! There was a hole in the stone wall surrounding the gardens. She could slip through the hole and run to Olufemi Palace. She would be safe there.

"I hear Princess Kamilah crying! This way men!" cried a voice.

Jamila felt her entire body freeze as the sound of feet echoed down the hall behind her. Putting on a burst of speed, she thundered down the stone corridor, turning left at the next hall. She gasped in horror. A dozen mdjai blocked her way. She turned, intending to retreat. Two mdjai blocked that end as well. Jamila turned back around to face the dozen.

"Stop!" said one of the mdjai, "Surrender the child, Mistress and come peacefully!"

Eyes glowing, she freed one of her golden glowing hands and blasted them out of the way. Not missing a beat, she swung around and made short work of the other two behind her. That done, she ran, leaping over the bodies of unconscious males on the ground.

As she ran, she listened for any foot steps pursing her. She could barely hear over the pounding of her heart and the cries of her child. Hearing nothing, she stopped, leaning against the stone wall to take a much needed breath. Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She looked down at the crying child. She was doing this for her, all for her. She would protect her with her last breath.

Kamilah was her heart, her life, her only surviving child. How could she not go to this extent? How could she not try and protect her daughter.

Bring the little girl gently to her chest, she rocked her a bit.

"Don't cry, little one. I will protect you,"

Kamilah continued to cry, not understanding what her mother was saying.

"I think I hear them!" a voice cried from a distance.

Jamila looked down the hall in panic. They were catching up to her again. Pushing herself off of the wall, she ran down the corridor. The halls of the palace had never seemed this long, this endless. Why was it now that they seemed that way? That it felt as though she were running but was not getting any further to her destination?

More mdjai filed behind her, screaming at her to stop, to surrender. She turned and held out a glowing hand. The mdjai began to glow golden, their feet beginning to lift from the ground.

Jamila lifted them from the ground, she stuck them up onto the roof of the hall, leaving them screaming after as she began to run once more. They would fall down eventually, but not for a while.

As she ran down the last hall leading to the private gardens she tripped, nearly falling onto the hard floor. Catching herself, she looked down at her sandals. One had snapped. Kicking off both shoes in a panic, she took off once more. She ran down the hall, to the double doors leading to the private gardens. Grabbing the handle of one of the doors with one hand, she pushed against the heavy door. It opened with a loud creak. Cold air instantly entered, blowing her hair roughly.

She made a beeline for the blue rose gardens. The wall and the hole was just beyond it.

The grass was cool on her bare feet. It was unusually chilly outside. Jamila barely noticed. Her entire mind and focus was centered only on finding that hole and getting the hell out of the palace. It would take them a few hours to reach Olufemi Palace but she didn't care. There was no going back now. If she did, she'd be locked up for good. She couldn't let that happen.

As she ran through the blue rose garden, she felt the air shift, energy buzzing, and crackling.

A few feet away in the darkness, a dark figure formed. Dread dropped into her tummy making her feel shaky and terrified.

"That is far enough, Queen Jamila," said the figure.

Stealing her nerves, she once more freed one of her hands, the gold glow surrounding it shinning brighter than before. She had not known he was here.

"You do not understand what those monster wish to do to her!" Jamila said in a shaky voice, "They want to turn her into a monster! They will damn her forever if that happens! Please! Just let me leave Hondo!"

"Nay, Mistress, I cannot," he said, his own hands glowing gold, his blue eyes glowing.

Jamila growled in anger. With a burst of energy she raised dirt from the ground. The ground shook and split as large chunks of the earth rose up, levitating in the air. Thrusting her hand forward, she hurled the chunks of earth at him like rocks.

Hondo merely lifted a hand; creating fire from the air he disintegrated the hurtling earth without much thought.

As ash rained from the sky, Jamila once more controlled the earth. The ground shook once more as it lifted up like a mighty wave. Hondo leapt out of the way as the earth wave crashed down. He too manipulated the ground. It shook once more as it rose up under his feet, lifting him high above Jamila. From above, he controlled the vines of the blue rose bushes surrounding Jamila.

Jamila cried out in pain as the thorns of the bush wrapped around her arms and legs. Blood instantly soaked her white linen clothing. With her hands pinned, she could no longer manipulate nature. Hondo lowered the earth beneath his feet and walked over to the tied up female.

"No! Hondo please!" she screamed as he approached her.

"I am sorry, Mistress, but this has gone on long enough. My brother gave you plenty of warnings, more than enough warning to cease this madness, but you did not heed them. Now you have gone too far," he said as he stopped in front of her.

Reaching out, he took the child from her. Jamila struggled against the vines, screaming at him in frustration. Hondo said nothing as the mdjai and Bomani caught up to them. Hondo placed his niece against his chest, gently patting her back n an attempt to quiet her crying.

"Please let me go!" Jamila screamed at the males surrounding her, "They're going to turn her into a monster!"

"Take her to the dungeon, now," Bomani said, his voice shaking with rage, "I have had more than enough of this spectacle,"

"Nay!" Jamila screamed as the mdjai surrounded her, a pair of enchanted manacles in the hand of one of the mdjai.

Those manacles would render her powerless. She began to struggle harder as they placed the heavy manacles onto her delicate hands, the thorns dug deeper into her skin.

"Enough!" Bomani said in anger, "I have had enough Jamila! You will resist no more! I will have you locked away forever if you do not cease this! Be glad I do not have you executed for your blatant disregard for my authority!"

As the manacles snapped closed, and the vines released her, Jamila glared at her husband with something akin to hatred, her blue eyes blazing with helpless anger and disappointment. The mdjai began to lead her away. As she passed Bomani she dug her feet in, refusing to move. She pinned him with a look.

"You have damned her," she said softly, "You have damned the soul of our child. You have let in these foreigners into our country, and they will destroy it. You will be responsible for the extinction of our people!"

Dark brows lowered over blue eyes. He would not let her or her family run his life or his country. He was aware of the premonition her grandmother had delivered to her, however, he was more than capable of protecting his daughter. Her grandmother had not said one thing about his guests being the reason behind their daughter's future. Jamila had assumed it was them.

She had no evidence to support her reasoning. He would not go on the word of a woman that was so irrationally afraid of their guests. The one thing a Pharaoh could not do was make decisions based on fear.

"Take her," Bomani said to the mdjai.

The mdjai led her away. As she was led away, the tears began to fall. With her daughters cries echoing in her ears, Jamila began to pray. She prayed for her people, for their country, and most of all, her daughter.

OoOoOoOoO

Jikininki headed back to his room without delay. Bomani had taken off after his wife after apologizing to them both and stating that he would meet with them again tomorrow. Today's events had shaken him a bit. No one was supposed to know about his plans for Princess Kamilah, least of all, her mother.

This was not good.

His plan could not succeed if Queen Jamila knew what was going on.

As he slammed the room door behind him, he hurried over to the balcony doors. One of the glass doors was open, and a gentle breeze blew the white curtain covering the glass doors.

"I want to know who leaked information to that bitch Jamila," he said viciously as he paced before the open door, "I want that person brought here _now_,"

"My Lord, no one has leaked any information," Ranka said from behind the closed door of the two doors.

He had been there for hours, sitting with his back against the closed door of the double balcony doors, waiting for his Lord to return after carrying out his orders. In those long hours, he had replayed his part in this plot over and over in his head. Wondering if he had done the right thing by following soldiers like the soldier he was or if disobeying his orders despite the consequence was the right choice.

Each time he had come to the same conclusion, had gotten the same answer: it no longer mattered. What was done was done; he could undo nothing that had been done tonight, not now, not later.

"Someone has," he hissed, "She is aware of the plans we have for her daughter. Luckily that idiot Pharaoh does not believe a word that comes from her mouth, however, just the fact that she knows is dangerous,"

Ranka was surprised. That was dangerous for them. Having just one person other than those who Jikininki trusted know of the plan was extremely dangerous. Had information leaked out? And if so, how and who?

Most importantly, who else knew about it besides Queen Jamila? If she had, then there was the possibility that someone was plotting against them.

"I will speak to him personally," Jikininki said.

"But my Lord, it is too risky for you to have direct contact with him. If you are seen anywhere near him it could mean that you could possibly implicated if he were to be caught. Allow me to go and question him instead," Ranka said.

"Nay, I will go," Jikininki said, "You will show me where he is located,"

"Yes, sir," Ranka said.

Ranka sighed inwardly. His master was so goddamn stubborn. Ranka rose from his seated position as his master walked out onto the balcony. Without a word, Ranka leapt upwards onto the roof of the palace, his master following after him.

They stuck to the shadows of course, weaving in and out of alleys and buildings, careful to avoid any and every mdjai and Agyptian citizen as they traveled.

They made it to the marshy land where Ranka often met the cloaked figure to deliver messages from Jikininki to the cloaked male's master, and the cloaked male delivered messages from his master to Ranka.

They stood there for long moments before Jikininki began to get impatient.

"Where is he," he hissed.

"I do not know, master. He usually shows up whenever I come here, no matter the time of day. I am not sure why he has not done so yet,"

Ranka did not feel the need to inform his master that the cloaked figure did not like to be rushed, and could in fact be hiding among the decaying tress, watching them, laughing at their frustration. He was sure that would only make his master even angrier than he already was.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the darkness. It was the white cloaked male.

"Lord Jikininki, what brings you here?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Information has been leaked about our plans," Jikininki said angrily, "I want to know who the culprit is and where they are,"

The cloaked male laughed. Jikininki narrowed his eyes at the laughing male. Ranka watched his master intently, looking for any sign of his master making a move to his sword. Jikininki had an extremely short temper and would see the cloaks male's laughter as a great offense. Though it was an offense, it was not a 'great' offense, but his master would see it as so.

Jikininki had killed many a man for less than daring to laugh when he asked a question, a serious question.

Ranka hoped he refrained for the simple fact that the cloaked male's master would probably not be too happy to have to pick up the pieces of his servant's body. Angering the cloaked male's master could potentially put them in danger if he decided to turn on them.

"You Japanese truly are foolish," he said with a chuckle.

Ranka tensed as his master's brow twitched, his crimson eyes blazing.

"No information has been leaked," the cloaked male said, seeming unaware of how close he was to death, "There are Agyptian's that can see the future of another, simply by touch. Jamila's grandmother, Akila is one of these gifted Agyptians. Jamila was told by her grandmother about the future of Princess Kamilah,"

That explained how she knew but not why this Akila had not taken measure to stop them.

"Akila does not know that you and my master will be the cause of Princess Kamilah's future. Jamila's distrust of foreigners has led her to the conclusion that not only you, but Lord Sounga will be the cause. It is purely coincidence,"

Now that made sense. Ranka knew full well that no one was stupid enough to try and betray his master, and now that it was confirmed, he and his master could rest easy.

"I would suggest that you no longer come here, Lord Jikininki. It is not safe. If you are seen speaking with me, it could cause problems for my master. He would not be please if such a thing were to occur,"

Neither Jikininki nor Ranka missed the threat there. Jikininki merely smiled.

"I do not fear your master's displeasure. It is he who should fear mine,"

That said, Jikininki turned and leapt upward. Ranka followed.

The cloaked male watched them leave, the smile on his face turning savage.

"You would be wise to fear his displeasure, Jikininki. He is not one to be toyed with," he said as he melted into the shadows.

* * *

_**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the late update guys. I bought an Xbox and have been so damn addicted to Spartan: Total Warrior, lol. Besides that, I've been sick as a dog, still am, as well as the fact that I'm learning pharmacology in my MA program so that brought a crap load of homework and tests, so I've been studying my bottom off.**_

_**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed.**_

_**Please review!**_

_**Laters**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	5. It All Begins

_**Chapter Five:**_

_**It all begins**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

_**June 23, 2999 B.C.**_

Ranka sat waiting, his stomach twisted in knots. If he had been a lesser male, he might have rushed to the nearest bush and emptied the contents of his stomach. Not that there would be much to purge. He had been too nervous to eat much the night before and had barely been able to stomach breakfast this morning.

He had followed his orders from his master exactly throughout the week. And now, with those deeds done and one last order to fulfill, the time had finally come. This last action his part would seal the fate of Agyptia.

There was no going back now.

He sighed and sat down on the palace roof. Closing his eyes, he wished himself somewhere else. This was wrong, so damn wrong, and yet he was helpless to stop it, helpless to do anything but carry out his dark orders.

He rubbed his eyes in agitation.

"You are ready to carry out this deed?" asked a familiar voice.

Opening his eyes, Ranka looked up at the male standing over him, an arrogant smile on his tan face. He was fully clothed in a black Agyptian tunic trimmed with gold, his dark hair pulled back with a leather thong in a high ponytail. A mask made of pure gold concealed the top part of his face, leaving only his mouth and chin visible. The male had begun to wear the mask as of late, stating that he would not want to be identified before the plan was carried out.

Ranka was still astonished that this Agyptian male was so willing to betray his country with no remorse to speak of. It was daunting to say the least, considering who the male was.

Ranka mentally shrugged, it was none of his concern. The male had made his choice; Ranka was in no position to judge anyone. Not with blood staining his own hands.

"Aye," Ranka said standing, "I am ready to go through with it,"

"Good," the male said, his grin widening.

Ranka did not bother asking if the male was ready as well. With the excitement swirling around in his deep blue eyes, Ranka had no doubt the male was more than ready to play out his part in this tragedy.

"Lead you men through the path that was shown to you yesterday, my men are already in place," the male said as he walked over to the edge of the palace roof.

He turned back to Ranka, his mocking grin grating on his nerves.

"Once this final phase is complete, tell your master to make his move,"

Without waiting to see if Ranka would agree, the male leapt from the roof and disappeared into thin air. Ranka sighed aloud, cursing under his breath as he walked to the opposite side of the roof and took off.

This was not what he wanted. He did want this at all.

Though he thought it over and over in his mind and heart, he knew that there was nothing he could do to change things. He could either carry out his orders or not. The latter was not an option at all. His Master would see him dead if he backed out.

He reached the outer city within moments. Leaping down into a dark ally between two buildings, he looked around. No one was around; no one had seen him approach. Slowly, he emerged from the shadows, melting into the busy street of walking Agyptians. A few gave him a curious glace, but most did not acknowledge him, to busy with daily duties to spare him a glance. He walked for a while, weaving in and out of the cluttered bodies of Agyptians until he came upon a tall, white stone building.

The Agyptian writing on the top of the massive structure made no sense to him, as he was not able to read Agyptian, however, judging from the rowdy laughter and smell of wine this was the inn that was currently housing most of the soldiers of the small army Sounga and Jikininki had brought along to Agyptia. Only a few soldiers had accompanied the two into the palace, while the others had been sent to inns throughout the city. Most had been put up at this large inn.

Ranka walked inside the building. The sound of laughter, music and crude jokes surrounded him. The soldiers, both from the Kuro clan and Shiro clan, seemed to be having a grand time. They sat upon linen pillows surrounded by beautiful Agyptian women severing fruit and wine.

Some of the men were actually up and dancing with the Agyptian women, learning the Agyptian dances, as well as showing the women the way the Japanese danced.

Ranka was reluctant to break up the lively atmosphere, and even more reluctant to carry out his order.

"Men! Attention!" he shouted over the voices and music.

From years of training, the men came instantly to their feet; their backs ramrod straight, arms to their sides, all eyes trained on him. At his shout, the women playing music stumbled to a halt, the women serving drinks and food spilling their refreshments in surprise, and to his reluctant amusement, one of the women dancing with one of the soldiers fell to the ground in a huff as her dancing partner stood at attention, forgetting about the woman completely.

The woman stood up with an indignant huff, but said nothing.

"Half of the men here are to accompany me on a training run through the city according to Lord Sounga and Lord Jikininki's orders. Once done, the other half will be taken out to run upon the first half's return," Ranka said.

The men groaned.

"But we've only begun to relax, Lord Ranka," a male called out from the back, "Surely we can be allowed to skip training just this once,"

'If only you could, soldier,' Ranka thought to himself.

"I have my orders, gentlemen, they cannot be ignored," Ranka said evenly.

Grumbling was heard as the men began to gather up their armor and weapons.

"See that the others are wakened from their beds upstairs and are aware of their orders," Ranka said as he walked outside to wait for the soldiers to gear up and meet him outside.

His stomach twisted as the men began to line up in the street in black formation. The Agyptian citizens watched in fascination, a few children stopping to gawk at the tall, fearsome soldiers standing in their gleaming armor and weapons.

As the last of the men fell in line, Ranka began to lead them through the city at a jog. Most of the Agyptians cleared a path for the soldiers, clearly used to seeing the soldiers out on their daily exercise. As they jogged towards an open courtyard, Ranka stopped.

"Halt!" he cried out to the men behind him.

The men stopped, a bit confused as to why Ranka stopped them.

"What is it, sir?" a soldier asked.

"Something is not right," Ranka said, his stomach contracting painfully as he said the words.

He knew that something was not right, he could feel it. The male had in fact gone through with the plan.

This was it.

They stood in silence for a moment before the air began to grow heavy with pressure, putting them instantly on guard. Shields came up, and weapons were drawn.

"Welcome soldiers!" cried a voice.

All eyes turned to look up at the sound of the voice. Standing upon the rooftop of an abandoned stone building, stood the Agyptian traitor, a smirk behind his golden mask, arms folded across his chest. Young Agyptian males joined him on the roof, appearing from thin air.

"I've been waiting for you all," he said as his hands turned golden with power, "It is time to die!"

Before his words had time to register, he leapt down from the building and into the heart of the soldiers. The first bloodcurdling scream pierced the air as the masked Agyptian male rammed a glowing, golden hand through the chest of the nearest soldier, his bronze hand clenching around the soldier's heart and ripping it from his chest.

The soldiers were too stunned to react at first. But as the masked Agyptian dropped the beating heart on the ground, and soldier tumbled dead to the dirt, the soldiers came to their senses.

"It's an ambush!!!" cried one of the soldiers as the Agyptian leapt from the stone building and onto the soldiers.

Ranka pulled his sword from its sheath at his hip as the sounds of battle and dying men broke out all around him. He had to pretend as though this was indeed an ambush and not a set up. If even one of the soldiers survived and got back to Lord Sounga or the Pharaoh and reported Ranka acting strangely the plan would be discovered.

Without further thought, Ranka turned on the Agyptians, engaging one of them in combat. He knew not if the masked Agyptian had explained to the Agyptians accompanying him that Ranka was on their side.

He doubted it.

It mattered not. He had his orders, if they died in the process then there was nothing he could do.

Swinging his sword at one of the Agyptians, he was surprised when the Agyptian brought up his gold glowing hands and blocked the swing of his sword as effectively as shield. Ranka stumbled back a bit as his sword bounced off the golden hands, his eyes widening in shock.

He had never fought against any of the Agyptians and knew nothing of their fighting styles or magic's. He would have to learn as he fought. Shaking off his surprise, Ranka went on the offense once more. As he fought, however, he could not help but feel that the Agyptian he fought was toying with him, giving Ranka the impression the male knew what was going on.

He certainly hoped that was the truth of the matter, he certainly did not wish to kill the male; he had enough blood on his hands and was not willing to add anymore. But still, he had to pretend to be fighting to the death.

Raising his sword, he brought it down at the Agyptian with half of his strength, hoping the male was able to block in time. The Agyptian didn't disappoint.

Bringing up his golden hands, the Agyptian male hammered his hands against his blade, knocking Ranka sword from his hands. Too stunned to do more than gape, he was unprepared for the Agyptian's attack. Seeing the opening, the Agyptian took full advantage, thrusting one of his glowing gold hands through his chest, just missing his heart.

The pain was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He had taken hits far more fatal than this on the battle field; however, none had ever felt like this. It felt as though he had been struck by a shaft of lightening from the very skies above. Throbbing, burning pain shot from the wound to every part of his body.

His muscles, his bones, his very skin felt as though it had been set ablaze and for the first time in his life he screamed.

The Agyptian removed his hand, dismissing him from his thoughts as he turned and went in search of more soldiers to kill.

Ranka crumpled to the ground as the pain throbbed through him. Eyes wide in terror, he lifted a hand to his chest, pressing against the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Blood soaked his hand, slipping through his fingers; warm and sticky.

He felt the life draining from his body and yet the pain continued. He had been near death before and never had the pain from his wound continue to pain him. Usually, he felt weightless, all his pain and troubles gone, and this was quite the opposite. Even though, he's never felt this way before death before, he had no doubt that he was in fact dying.

He couldn't believe it.

He was going to die!

A shadow fell across him, blocking the sun from his sight. Twinkling blue eyes peered at him from behind a shiny gold mask, his lips curved in an amused smile, pearl white teeth flashing. Despite his mortal wound, Ranka felt a sharp bolt of irritation with the male.

How could he be smiling while Ranka was lying on the ground dying? What the hell did he find so goddamn amusing?

Him dying was not apart of the plan!

"You're not dying, it only feels as though you will, it's an old Agyptian trick," the amused Agyptian said as though reading Ranka's mind.

Trick?

Ranka barely registered what the male said, his brain working a bit sluggishly from being shocked twice in ten minutes. Suddenly, his brows drew down as understanding finally dawned.

A trick??

A Bloody trick???

With a growl, Ranka sat up gingerly, removing his hand from his wound and looked down at the hole in his chest. It didn't feel any better, if anything it felt worse now that he sat up. Hot blood gushed between his fingers. He felt light headed.

Suddenly, those blue eyes were looking into his own once more, that arrogant smirk mocking him, irritating him to no bounds. Reaching out, the masked Agyptian removed his hand from his wound and replaced it with his own tanned hand. Ranka watched as his hand began to glow golden.

Instantly, Ranka felt a hell of a lot better.

He blinked in surprise.

The masked Agyptian chuckled.

"This wound is not fatal, nor as dire as it appears, it is merely an illusion that fools all that is not of Agyptian blood," he said.

"And what need was there for such a trick?" Ranka asked angrily.

His anger seemed to amuse the Agyptian even more.

"To complete the plan of course," he said with a wide smile, "How would it look if the soldiers you brought out for training were all killed while you remained completely unscathed?"

Ranka looked around, sure enough, all the soldiers he that had accompanied him were dead, killed in the goriest ways possible. The stone ground beneath him was soaked in their blood. Ranka turned away, unable to look at the dead bodies around him.

The soldiers lay dead upon the cold stone ground, their faces twisted in horrified pain. The smell of blood, release bowls and death permeated the air, making him sick to his very stomach. There was no sign of the Agyptians that had accompanied the masked Agyptian.

"Oh, come now, you knew what was to transpire here, Youkai," the Agyptian said observing Ranka's disgusted expression at the bodies littering the ground.

With a growl, Ranka lashed out with his claws.

The Agyptian leaped away, easily dodging the attack; however, he was not perturbed by the attack at all. His annoying grin was still firmly in place on his masked, tanned face.

Ranka gasped as the wound suddenly began to throb once more, blood gushing from the wound. His hand came up once more to cover the gaping hole. His entire body burned and ached with blistering pain once more. Now he knew for sure that the masked Agyptian spoke the truth, this was indeed a trick.

"The pain will last long enough to carry out the final part of this great tragedy," the Agyptian said, his eyes gleaming.

"You seem to enjoy this too much," Ranka said as he stood on shaky legs.

The male's smile only deepened as he tossed something gold at Ranka's feet. The gold fell heavily at Ranka's feet with a loud thud. Ranka picked up the gold with shaking hands. He could barely bring his hand up to observe the jewelry. It was an extravagant gold necklace decorated with rows and rows of emeralds and rubies.

"What the….hell….is this….?" He asked weakly.

God, this was one hell of a trick! Even though he knew his wound was not as serious as it he had thought, he still felt as though he was on the very edge of death.

"The necklace of the Pharaoh's younger brother," the Agyptian said, "You will take that as proof of his brother's death,"

Ranka looked up sharply at the Agyptian.

"So……..the Prince……is dead, is he?" Ranka asked.

The Agyptian grinned.

"Very much so, I made sure of it,"

"And….what became….of his…..body?"

"Leave that to me, I have his body, and the Pharaoh and all of Agyptia will see it soon enough,"

Ranka decided not to as what he meant by "all of Agyptia", he was sure he'd find out soon enough.

"Get back to the inn and tell the soldiers of this…"ambush". Everything shall fall into place after that," the Agyptian said as he turned and leapt up onto the building.

He turned back to look down at Ranka.

"Tell your master to make his move as soon as chaos breaks free,"

With that said, he disappeared.

Ranka sat there a moment before looking down at the piece of jewelry in his hand, before he made his first attempt to stand. Twice his legs buckled before he was able to summon enough energy to stand and actually move.

As he stumbled back to the inn, blood gushed from his wound. His vision was getting blurry and the pain seemed to increase with every step he took.

The Agyptian people on the street stopped to stare at him in shock and horror. Mothers hurried the children home, men watched in horrified fascination at the blood running through his fingers that covered the hole in his chest.

He walked for what seemed like an eternity before the inn came into his line of sight. With a burst of energy, he stumbled into the building and onto the floor.

The festivities of the occupants of the inn came to an abrupt halt.

Ranka was distantly aware of soldiers surrounding him, asking what ailed him. A brawny soldier lifted him up and motioned for silence as Ranka began to speak.

"An….ambush…..the Agyptians…..attacked…..everyone….dead…" he said.

Shocked and outraged gasps were heard around the room.

"Get me….to Lord…Jikininki…" Ranka said weakly.

"You can't go anywhere with that wound," one soldier said, "You must remain here until you are well enough to move. That wound looks like it could be fatal,"

Ranka shook his head.

"It is….not as……bad as it appears……….Take me to Lord Sounga….and Lord Jikininki…they must be told of the Agyptian's……treachery before it is too late……" Ranka said.

The soldiers hesitated.

"Now!" Ranka forced out, "That is an order!"

Grimly, the soldier holding him nodded and stood with Ranka in his arms. Another soldier came forward and offered his back. The soldier holding Ranka carefully placed his burden onto the back to the soldier. The soldier wasted no time. He rushed from the inn at top speed, headed towards the palace, his stomach twisting in knots just as Ranka's stomach had only moments earlier.

The soldier was well aware of the consequences of the Agyptian's unprovoked attack. Even Lord Sounga could not forgive such an act.

Soldiers from the inn fell into step with him as he ran.

"Tell them….to travel…..east of here…..the….bodies…..are there," Ranka said to the soldier carrying him.

The soldier nodded.

"Eight of you soldiers travel east of here, Lord Ranka says the bodies of our comrades are in that direction," the soldier said, "Be careful, there may be more Agyptian's lying in wait. I need three other soldiers to alert the rest of the soldiers located in the other inns of the situation before the Agyptian's try and attack again. We cannot afford to lose anymore men,"

From the group of soldiers following, eleven took off to do the soldier's bidding.

Ranka dozed off as they headed towards the palace, but was awakened by the sounds of men shouting. He was still lying on the soldier's back. Opening his eyes, he took in the situation. They were at the palace gates, and the mdjai posted before the doors were arguing with the soldiers, clearly refusing to allow the soldiers entrance into the palace without authorization. Ranka tried to focus on what was being said.

"……no business here!" one of the mdjai was saying, "The Pharaoh has said naught about allowing anymore soldiers into the palace! Leave here at once!"

"We'll not leave until we have spoken to our Lords!" a soldier from behind Ranka shouted, "Move or we will move you!"

"You would dare threaten me?!" the mdjai said drawing his sword.

The soldier carrying Ranka backed up as the soldiers behind them came forward, their swords drawn as well.

"You would draw your sword against us?" the other mdjai asked as he too withdrew his sword.

"Aye we would!" one soldier cried.

"We would draw a sword against you as you drew your sword against our murdered comrades!" cried another soldier.

"Enough talk!" yelled a soldier, "Kill those murdering son of bitches! Remember our fallen comrades!!!"

With that said, the soldiers charged forward, overwhelming the two mdjai. Seeing his chances to slip by, the soldier carrying Ranka rushed forward and into the palace. Instantly he picked up the scents of both Lords and headed in their directions.

As he followed the scents through the complex maze of corridors and rooms, the sound of footsteps and shouts reached his ears. An alarm pierced the air.

Hearing the alarm, Ranka gave a sigh of relief. The plan was going as smooth as expected. The soldiers, upset over the death of their fallen comrades would attack first and ask questions later. With that mentality, a war between the Agyptia and Japan was as good as done. Lord Jikininki's plan had worked. Now Ranka could rest easy for a while, at least until it was time to make their next move.

"Hurry….we don't…..have much time……" Ranka said weakly.

"Yes sir," the soldier said.

The scent of the two Lords was becoming stronger as the soldier rounded the corner. Large, golden double doors at the end of the hall came into view. Two mdjai guarded that door as well. The soldier carrying Ranka charged forward with a loud grow, sending the two mdjai flying as he burst through the golden doors where the Pharaoh, Lord Sounga and Lord Jikininki sat on fluffy pillows on the ground. All three males looked up in surprise at the intrusion.

Pharaoh Bomani stood.

"What in the h-"he began.

"Lord Sounga!" the soldier interrupted, "The Agyptian's! They've attacked us! They ambushed the soldiers taken out to exercise with Lord Ranka, they're all dead sir!"

The soldier came forward, walking over to the two Lords, his eyes watching Bomani cautiously as he laid a bleeding Lord Ranka down on the silken white pillows on the floor. The pillow instantly turned crimson. Both Lord Sounga and Lord Jikininki stood up as well. They looked over at Pharaoh Bomani who had gone dead silent, his blue eyes staring at the golden necklace Ranka clutched in his bloody hand.

"What trickery is this?" Lord Jikininki demanded.

"Where did you get that necklace?" Pharaoh Bomani yelled, his voice trembling, "Where is the man it belongs too?!"

"Dead…." Ranka answered the Pharaoh.

Pharaoh Bomani froze.

His brother…..dead?

"What have you done?!" Bomani yelled, his blues eyes blazing as he watched the males with angry eyes, "You have killed my brother!!!"

"You have killed our men!" Lord Jikininki countered, "If your brother died by the hands of our men then he was killed in self-defense!"

"Pharaoh Bomani, what is the meaning of this?" Lord Sounga asked, "We were under the impression that we had a truce. Why have you slain our men?"

"There will be no truce between us! Never!!! You will die here!!! You will die here for killing my brother!!"

As Pharaoh Bomani attacked, Lord Sounga unsheathed his sword. Golden palms collided with steel blade.

"I will hold him off! Gather the soldiers and tell them we are at war!" Lord Sounga yelled over his shoulder at Lord Jikininki.

Lord Jikininki wasted no time, ordering the soldier to pick up Ranka and follow him; he tried not to smile as he hurried to do Lord Sounga's bidding.

OoOoOoOoO

Jamila brought her knees up to her chest, her eyes squeezing shut tight as the sound of rattling chains filled her ears. The stone room was dark and damp; a lone, steel barred window was the only connection to the outside world. Sunlight streamed through the little window, bathing the room in a warm, sunny glow. The room was dirty and smelled musty. It was not a place fit for a Queen.

Agyptian writing was chiseled into room's thick walls, effectively preventing any power she had from being used. The dungeon had been built over a century ago, but despite its age, it held strong and true.

She'd been down in the dungeon for seven days now, and had not seen her child since that fateful night. As the days passed, Jamila could feel the danger approaching. Soon, the foreigners would make there move, and with her in prison, her child was without protection.

Standing abruptly, she began to pace. The sound of the rattling chains encircling her ankle making her feel more anxious than she already felt.

She hated this. She had no idea where Kamilah was or how long her husband intended to keep her down here. After the first three days, Jamila had thought Bomani would release her. She had assumed that her imprisonment was to be a small punishment, a mere slap upon the wrist; however, as the days had passed by, she had become more and more worried.

Never before had she provoked Bomani's anger to such a high point and because of that fact, she did not know how far her husband could be pushed. In all the years of their marriage, she had never thought to test his patience and measure his reaction; just to see how far he would let her go.

Now, as she walked from wall to wall of the tiny room, she wished that she had done so.

The sound of footsteps on the stone steps stopped her pacing. She turned, her heart pounding in hope and dread. She hoped it was her husband, or mayhap a guard coming to set her free, though she had to concede that it may just be the jailer, here to bring her daily meal.

As the steps drew closer, her stomach knotted, her hands becoming damp and clammy. If she were the swooning type, she had no doubt she'd be on the grimy stone floor of her cell with in seconds. A dark figure appeared before the bars of the thick bars of her cell. Jamila was sure that figure did not belong to her jailer. If here eyes were not deceiving her, she would swear the figure was that of a female.

"Mistress Jamila," came a familiar whisper.

Jamila rushed over to the bars of her cell. It was a female. It was none other than her personal maid Khepri.

"Khepri, child what are you doing here? If anyone catches you down here you will find yourself in trouble," Jamila said as she looked around hoping none of the jailers were around.

"I will not be caught, Mistress, and if I were, I doubt there would be any trouble. We are at war my Queen," Khepri said, panic clear in her voice.

"War?!" Jamila screeched, "Of what do you speak Khepri?"

"I know not the details Mistress, I know only that the foreigners have come and forced their way into the palace, others that are not in the palace have begun to terrorize the city, setting it ablaze and killing every man, woman and child. It is complete and utter chaos, Mistress!"

Jamila's heart clenched, her lungs froze. It had begun. Amun-ra in heaven why hadn't Bomani listened to her! She had told him the foreigners were up to no good, that they would lead to the downfall of their beloved county of Agyptia! She took a breath, trying to keep her fear at bay. She felt lightheaded, as if she might swoon.

"Khepri, where is Kamilah? Is she safe?" Jamila asked.

"Aye Mistress, she has been taken to a place of safety by the mdjai,"

"She is still in the palace?" Jamila asked in a shrill voice, trying her hardest not to let the panic in her chest overwhelm her.

Khepri nodded.

"We must get her out of here, Khepri! She needs to be taken to Olufemi Palace. That is the only place she will be safe from those beasts,"

"Yes Mistress, but how?" Khepri asked, wringing her hands, "All of the mdjai have been dispatched to try and stop the killing in the city, and the ones that have remained in the palace are battling the soldiers that have forced their way in,"

"Where is my husband? You must find Bomani,"

"The Pharaoh is fighting as well, Mistress. He is overcome with grief,"

"Grief? What has happened?"

"His brother, Mistress, they say his brother, Prince Hondo has been slain,"

Jamila gasped in surprise. Prince Hondo and Pharaoh Bomani had been close as twins. She could well imagine that Bomani was overcome with his grief over his brother's death.

"You are certain he is dead?" Jamila asked.

"One of the soldiers came into the palace clutching the necklace Pharaoh Bomani bought for Prince Hondo for his twelfth birthday in his bloody hand. One of the mdjai claim to know where the Prince's body is but will wait until everything has been settled before bringing it to the Pharaoh,"

"Then it is true. Hondo is indeed dead," Jamila said softly.

Though Hondo had stopped her from escaping with Kamilah that fateful day, Jamila had felt no ill will towards the young man. He had always been kind to her, before and after Jamila's marriage to his older brother. She certainly did not wish him dead and was certainly distressed to hear of his demise. But now was not the time dowel on the loss, she had to find her baby.

She had to save her child before it was too late.

"We have to get Kamilah out of here Khepri,"

* * *

_**Sorry it's taken so long for updates on both my stories. I've been extremely busy with school. I'm getting ready to graduate and take my certification test as well as go back to get certified in x-ray then I have to start school to become an RN, so I've got a lot going on at the moment. I promise I'll try and make room for my stories! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**Memeylupht- By hero I assume you mean Sesshomaru? He's coming, don't worry. We're getting there. I don't want to rush this story. This story will be a Sesshomaru/Kagome romance, but first you have to understand the events leading up to them being brought together.**_

_**caitibug323- I'm really glad you like it! I'm hoping to make every story I make completely different from each other, and trust me, it's not so easy to keep all the facts straight, and at times I have to reread certain parts. But I'm so glad you like it!**_

_**Darkness living in Hope- I'm glad you like the story so far. I'm glad you like the scene with Kamilah and Sounga, I spent a while trying to think of how that encounter should play out.**_

_**Until next time!**_

_**Laters!**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	6. Kagome

_**Chapter Six:**_

_**Kagome**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

Khepri looked frantically around the dungeon looking for the keys to her Mistress' cell. Her stomach clenched in despair when she could not see even one key hang on the stone walls.

"The guard that brings my food keeps the keys clipped onto his kilt," Jamila said watching the young woman's eyes search desperately around the dungeon.

Wrapping her hands around the thick bars, Khepri pulled on the bars, testing their strength and durability.

Instantly she felt her energy being sucked from her very body and dizziness began to lap at her senses. Hastily releasing the bars, Khepri took several steps away from the bars on weak knees. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the cell and she shook her head to clear it of the fuzziness.

"This prison was designed specifically to keep us in, Khepri," Jamila said, "It absorbs the energy and strength of Agyptians, rendering them totally defenseless,"

Khepri pushed herself away from the wall and nodded, taking another deep breath before looking up at her Mistress once more. Concern filled those unusual blue-green eyes.

"Are you alright, dear?"

Khepri nodded and once more walked over to the bars, careful not to touch them this time.

"I am fine Mistress, but however am I to get you out of there? I know not where the guard is, and I am not able to touch the bars,"

"You will have to go without me, Khepri," Jamila said.

"Go without you? You don't mean for me to leave you here and escape, do you Mistress?"

"That is exactly what I mean you to do. Find my daughter, take her with you to Olufemi Palace, tell them what has occurred here, and tell them to seek safety for the foreigners will surely come for Kamilah,"

"Mistress, I cannot simply abandon you," Khepri said shaking her head, "I'll not go without you. I will find the guard and he will open the cell and we will leave here together and….."

Khepri's words trailed off as her Mistress' face contorted into panicked filled rage. Blood rushed to her Mistress' face, turning her tanned face red. Her blue-green eyes turned stormy and dark. She had never seen her Mistress look that way at her.

As if she could, she might strangle her with her bare hands.

"Nay!" Jamila yelled in impatience, "You will do as I command! Find my daughter and escape!"

Khepri hesitated a moment before she slowly shook her head. How could she possibly leave when her Mistress was confined behind prison bars and the foreigners loose in the palace, killing their people and raiding their land? How could her Mistress even ask such a thing of her?

"Nay, Mistress, I cannot simply-"

"You will or I swear by the wrath of Amun-Ra I will have you whipped and beheaded the moment I am released from this cursed prison cell!" Jamila thundered, "I'll not lose my daughter for the likes of you! I am still your Queen and you will obey me! Go now or perish!"

Khepri's eyes widened at the threat. Would her Mistress do such an awful thing? Looking into the eyes of her Mistress, Khepri could see she was dead serious. A shiver crawled up Khepri's spine. With a barely noticeable nod, Khepri turned and headed for the door, not once turning back to look at her Mistress.

As her hand reached the knob, Khepri heard a soft whisper from her Mistress.

"I will not lose my daughter,"

Opening the door, Khepri looked both ways before slipping out into the hall, the screams of the injured and dying once more filling her ears. The scent of smoke filled her nostrils, choking her. Khepri coughed, covering her mouth and nose with her hand in an attempt to stop herself from breathing in more of the dark smoke.

Looking around once more, Khepri ran down the hall and up the stairs to another door leading back into the main rooms of the palace, her feet carrying her as fast as she could go. As she reached the door, however, she could barely open it with her shaking hands as the scent of blood drifted up to her nose.

With eyes wide as saucers, and as panicked as her Mistress' had been Khepri took her a calming breath, before once more reaching for the door handle and slowly turning the door.

The squeaking sound of the door hinges sounded deafening to Khepri. Nervously she looked around her, hoping for the life of her that none of the foreigners had heard her opening the loud door. Reaching under her tunic, she clasped the necklace her mother had given her on her tenth birthday. It was an exact replica of the God Amun-Ra.

Clutching it in her hand, Khepri prayed for all she was worth as she headed down the hall towards the hiding place Kamilah had been taken to just minutes before she left to find her Mistress in the dungeon.

The smell of smoke grew stronger; the screams of their people grew louder as she walked.

Rounding the corner, Khepri stopped, completely rooted to the spot, her heart pounding, and her stomach twisting.

The hall leading to Kamilah's rooms was littered with bodies and body parts, the stone floor flooded with warm, sticky blood. Sightless eyes of mdjai, foreigner soldiers and Agyptian servants stare up at the ceiling, their faces twisted in agony, their limbs bent at unnatural angles.

The smell was God awful. It was too much all at once.

Turning away from the carnage, Khepri retched, and then vomited, spilling the contents of her midday meal on the stone floor. Her stomach clenched tightly and her throat burned with bile. She could barely stand as nausea rolled through her body.

Collapsing to the ground, Khepri took long breaths, trying to stop her vomiting, but as she looked down at the stone floor beneath her, her eyes widened in horror.

She was kneeling in crimson blood, a severed hand lying next to her own hand. With a loud scream, Khepri shoot up to her feet, backing away from the hand only to slip on the blood and crash down onto the floor into another puddle of blood littered with chunks of flesh and a part of someone's scalp, hair still attached.

Too stunned to move, Khepri lifted her hands to look at the blood on her hands before letting loose another loud screaming. Her scream was cut off as the horrible retching returned and once more she began to vomit. Luckily, there was not much for her to spill onto the stone floor and soon her vomiting became nothing more than dry heaves.

Closing her eyes and clutching her necklace, Khepri prayed for the strength to continue on.

Once she could breathe again, she opened her eyes, drew in a breath and wiped her mouth before turning once more to the messy hall, her eyes damp with tears.

Sucking in another breath, she began to make her way through the bodies, her leg shaking.

Dear God what had gone on in this hall, she could not even imagine. Slowly, she stepped between the bodies, clenching her teeth whenever something squishy gave way under her sandals. She tried not to think about what she stepped on, did not look down but kept her eyes glued to the end of the hall.

She walked for what seemed an eternity before she reached her destination. Before her, stood a wall, however, it was no ordinary wall. Reaching forward, Khepri placed her hand on the door and pushed forth a small amount of energy into the gray, stone wall. The wall sprang up into the ceiling, revealing stairs leading down into darkness.

Breathing deeply, she walked down into the darkness, holding out a hand to the wall to keep her balance. The wall behind her slid back down.

Darkness surrounded her. Never before had she feared the darkness, now she did. She knew that if she ever made it out of here alive, she would have nightmares for the rest of her days. It seemed as though the stairs went on forever. Khepri was beginning to panic once more before she finally reached the door to Kamilah's room.

Again, she placed her hand on the door and pushed her energy through the door to remove the spell protective spell from it.

The door clicked open, and Khepri slipped inside, careful to close the door after her.

Three mdjai stood before yet another door, weapons drawn. Taking in the blood on her hands and clothing, the foul odor of vomit, the mdjai narrowed their eyes, sharing looks with each other, not sure what to make of her appearance.

"What do you here, woman?" one of them demanded.

Khepri studied the males, trying to see which one looked soft and compassionate and would likely hear what she had to say.

The male on the left was short but well built, he wasn't very handsome and the scar running along the right side of his face did nothing to help his appearance. Khepri did not think she would find any understanding from that male.

The mdjai soldier in the middle was tall and lean, lightly muscled and as homely as the scarred male next to him. His brows were thick and bushy, nearly connecting in the middle of his forehead. His hard look said that he would not be understanding either.

Lastly she turned to the other male. He was of average height and build, not exactly homely, but could not be called comely either. He was rather ordinary looking. His face was set in an identical hard look as his fellow friends.

Khepri groaned inwardly.

"I…I was sent by Queen Jamila. She wishes for her daughter to be taken to Olufemi Palace for protection," Khepri explained.

"Queen Jamila has been imprisoned by the Pharaoh, she could not have given such an order," the average male said suspiciously.

"I went down to the dungeons and-"

"You well know it is forbidden to be in the dungeons and conversing with prisoners without authorization," interrupted the scarred male.

"Now is hardly the time for me to be thinking of gaining authorization, soldiers!" Khepri said, her brows drawing down in a spark of anger, "If you have not taken notice, we are at war!"

"We are well aware of what goes on," said the tall soldier, his own bushy brows drawing down in irritation, "However, that is no excuse to break the law,"

The other two mdjai nodded.

"Be gone with you girl, else we will throw you in a cell next to the Queen you have risked punishment to see," said the scarred male.

Khepri stared at the males in shock, unable to believe what she had heard. Were these men stupid or something? Would they really deny the orders of their Queen? Had they all gone mad?!

"Nay, I'll not leave! Queen Jamila has given me orders to take her daughter from this place and deliver her to Olufemi Palace and I will do so!" Khepri said angrily.

"Now look you here," said the scarred male, steeping forward, "We have no time for the likes of you. Be gone now, woman! You do naught but hinder things here!"

Khepri clenched her fists and took a breath, about to let the three pig headed soldiers have it when the floor began to rumble, the walls shaking. Khepri screamed and held on to the wall as the three soldiers did the same. The sound of Princess Kamilah's cries filled the air over the shaking.

Khepri could barely hear the sounds over the rapid beating of her heart.

As the shaking began to die down, the door behind the soldiers opened and a servant stood in the door frame, Princess Kamilah wailing against her shoulder.

Kamilah knew the servant girl. She was Bahiti, Princess Kamilah's caretaker. She and the older woman had often played with Kamilah and spoken together as friends.

Bahiti was in her early thirties, still a young woman compared to the life span of Agyptian, however, she had wisdom that Khepri did not and was an excellent well of information as well as great and wise advice in all matters of life.

"What goes on here? What was that quake?" Bahiti asked anxiously, her blue eyes wide with fear.

"We know not," said the average soldier as he let go of the wall he had been holding and straightened.

Noticing Khepri, Bahiti turned questioning eyes upon her.

"What do you here, Khepri?" the older woman asked curiously as she shifted the child to her other shoulder.

"I was sent here with orders from the Queen," Khepri explained, "She wishes for her daughter to be taken to Olufemi Palace; she feels the Princess will be safer there,"

"It is too dangerous to venture outside the Palace walls," Bahiti said, "It is safer here,"

Khepri shook her head, panic causing her heart to beat faster.

"Nay! She must be taken to Olufemi Palace, 'tis the only place she will truly be safe from harm," Khepri said taking a step forward, "You must take her there now!"

Bahiti merely shook her head.

"Nay, she will stay where she is. The Pharaoh's personal guard delivered our Master's wishes not long ago. He wishes for his daughter to stay here until the foreigners have been taken care of and not a moment before. Those are his orders, Khepri, we must obey,"

"Nay, you must-"

"We will hear no more of your nay say," said the scarred soldier, "The Pharaoh sent his orders to us, and they will be followed and none will change that, especially not the likes of you,"

Khepri fumed silently.

"Then at least allow me to stay and help Bahiti with the Princess," Khepri asked through clenched teeth.

"Methinks you had best be on your way, girl," bushy brows said with a hard scrawl.

"There is no need for such a scrawl, soldier," Bahiti said as she came forward, stroking the Princess' back in a soothing motion, "I could use the help and Khepri has helped me often than not ere this day,"

The men looked at each other a moment before the scarred male nodded.

"Alright, you can assist, but if you cause trouble, you'll be out on your ass and I'll not let you near the Princess again, and you can be sure the Pharaoh will hear about it," the male said, "Do you understand me, girl?"

Khepri bit her tongue on the words she really wanted to say. She had waded through dead bodies, blood stained her clothing and was even now drying on her skin, Queen Jamila was stuck in the dungeon, and the foreigners were let loose in the palace, what the hell kind of trouble could she really cause that would top this war between their people and the foreigners?

"Aye," Khepri said instead, "I understand,"

"Then get you in the room and leave us to our duty," said the average male.

Teeth clenched, Khepri strode past the males and followed Bahiti into the room, closing the door behind her. She sighed. At least she was near the Princess, if push came to shove, she knew she would have to simply take the Princess and run.

OoOoOoOoO

Jikininki breathed in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of smoke and death. Gods it was glorious to be amongst such suffering. Ranka had done well indeed, and the masked Agyptian had upheld his part of the bargain so far.

Everything was going according to his plans, in a few centuries, if all went well he would be the new God of this world and once he had become all powerful, he would crush the other clans, especially the Imperial Clan. Sounga and his two bastard sons would perish and his sweet little wife would suffer before her own death.

The thought made him grin like the lunatic he was.

Jikininki felt as though he would do permanent damage to his cheeks for the wide grin upon his face was becoming quite painful.

It mattered not, not on this day, not on this glorious, wondrous day.

Stalking through the halls of the palace, cutting down all those that stood in his way, Jikininki made his way out to the back door towards the east wing gardens.

By the time he reached the tall double doors leading outside, his sword was covered in the blood of mdjai and Agyptian servants. As he kicked open the doors, his excited crimson eyes searched the grass for the tanned Agyptian.

A flash of gold caught his eye. Turning a bit, he saw that the masked Agyptian stood a few feet to his left, his grin just as big, wide and painful as Jikininki's.

"You have done well," said Jikininki, "This plan has gone flawlessly so far,"

The Agyptian chuckled and bowed lowly.

"I am so glad you approve," he said with amusement lacing his words.

Jikininki noticed something about the male he had not noticed before. His blue eyes were a bit crazed, a bit cold. He wondered why he noticed this now, he had not noticed such a thing in the months that he had been corresponding with Agyptian, but now he saw it. It was there, clear as day.

Jikininki shrugged, it didn't matter if the other male was sane or not, as long as he was sane enough to aid him, the male could be as crazed as a goat for all he cared. Besides, he could hardly call himself sane.

He shook his head with amusement.

Jikininki was many things; completely sane was not one of them.

"You know where the girl and book are?" Jikininki asked.

"Of course," the masked male said.

"Tell me, and we will begin the process,"

"I will lead you to her, have no fear. An Agyptian is needed to access her rooms,"

The Agyptian walked past Jikininki towards the doors leading back inside. Jikininki did not follow; he stood there a moment, waiting for the male to notice he had not moved. There was one thing he had been wanting to ask the Agyptian for some time now, since the first day he had been approached by the masked male.

"I have held my tongue for a while, but I cannot any longer. I would know something from you,"

The male stopped.

"What is it you would know?" the male asked.

"What do you gain from this?"

The tanned male looked over his shoulder, his eyes more crazed than before, his blue eyes glowing eerily as his grin widened, revealing sharp pearly white fangs.

"To see the true God of this world rise," he said fiercely, "To see the world tumble into a pit of despair so deep, so fucking painful that none are left untouched, myself included. I would see true pain, feel true pain, _**and cause**_ true pain. I would see the darkness and embrace,"

Jikininki smirked, not at all fazed by the crazed male's ramblings and fierce look.

Was that not what Jikininki wanted himself?

"When I am God, your wish will be granted," Jikininki said.

The masked male said nothing for a moment. As quick as the fierce, vicious look came over his face, it disappeared as though it had not ever been there before.

The male turned and once more walked towards the palace, Jikininki following this time. The two walked the bloody corridors in silence, each one relishing in the carnage upon the grounds, the piles and piles of bodies, the squishiness beneath their feet.

Jikininki smiled when the sound of a ribcage snapping beneath his foot reached his ears. Good God he was in a grand mood!

The palace shook from the force of the battle raging all around them. Sounga and Bomani were sure causing a racket. His gaze slid over to the tan male beside him.

"Your Pharaoh may die this day, does that not mean anything to you?" Jikininki asked curiously.

The male next to him threw back his head and laughed heartily, his laughter ringing off of the walls of the empty hall.

"Nay, nay, it means naught to me whether he breaths another breath,"

Jikininki shrugged at that. He was surprised that any Agyptian had thought to betray their Pharaoh, let alone enlist the help of foreigners to do so. To the Agyptian people, the Pharaoh was of the highest authority, stopping short of the Gods of course, but still, he had not come across an Agyptian other than the tanned male that held so little concern for their Pharaoh.

The male was such a strange one.

OoOoOoOoO

Jamila held onto the walls of her cell as another tremor shook the palace. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, she could feel the very blood in her veins rushing to her head. By all that was holy, what was happening?

Tears of frustration threatened to fall as she clenched her teeth. She had to get out of here! Gods only knew what was going on out there. While she was here, rotting in a cell, those foreigners could be halfway back to their heathen country with her daughter and the Book, then how would she ever find either?!

The Book!

Her eyes widened and her horror turned to terror. God help them all if they ever got a hold of the Book! Those greedy Youkai would not think twice about reading from the Book and unleashing something that would destroy the very planet they lived on.

Life as they all knew it would cease to exist.

Kneeling down on the ground, Jamila pressed her head down onto the cold stone floor.

"Amun-Ra hear me!" she prayed, tears clogging her throat, "Save my daughter! Release me from this prison so that I might protect her and the secrets of the Book of the Dead!"

"Jamila," came a whispered voice.

Almost too shocked too believe the voice was real, Jamila felt the tears she had been fighting flow down her cheeks.

"Jamila," came the voice again, more urgent this time.

"Eshe?" Jamila questioned softly as she rose from her kneeling position and looked over at the bars of her cell.

The woman standing there sent her a small smile.

"Grandmother foresaw you in a cell, she sent me to make sure all was well. I arrived a few days ago and was told you had been placed in the dungeon and were to remain there for a time. Pharaoh Bomani stated that you attacked his guests and tried to take Kamilah away," Eshe said, "Oh cousin, you should not have acted so rashly. You should have known it would not end well for you,"

Jamila wiped at the dampness on her cheeks before nodding.

"Aye, this I know cousin. If that I could do it over, I would act differently than I had," Jamila said standing, "It is too late now, however. We must get Kamilah and the Book,"

Eshe nodded.

"That is true,"

Turning she walked out of sight a moment, before returning with an Agyptian soldier. The soldiers blue eyes were glazed and he walked with stiff limbs. It was clear to Jamila that Eshe had used her gift upon the male, hypnotizing him into compliance.

"Open the cell, and release my cousin from her prison," Eshe said, her blue eyes glowing bright blue.

The male stiffly pulled his key ring from its clip at his hip and turned towards the bars. Unlocking the barred door, he opened it with a loud creak, before walking sluggishly over to Jamila. He bent down, his glazed eyes fixed on lock as he unlocked the shackle encasing her ankle.

Jamila stood immediately as the shackle slipped from her ankle, and the male stood unmoving, unseeing, awaiting his next orders.

Jamila turned to leave, but suddenly, the room spun and her head swam.

"Catch her," Eshe called out sharply to the hypnotized male standing near her cousin.

As Jamila took a dive towards the floor, the male caught her in his arms. Placing her hand to her head, Jamila closed her eyes against the swirling room.

"Careful cousin, being in the prison so long without your power has made you dizzy. Rest easy before you move,"

"Nay," Jamila said as she detangled herself from the zombie like male and stood a little steadier on her feet, "I have not time to rest easy, we must find my daughter and the Book before all hell falls upon our heads,"

Eshe reluctantly nodded and turned to the soldier.

"You are not to come out of your trance until we leave this room, and when you do, you will forget that Queen Jamila was ever imprisoned," she said, her eyes glowing.

The male said nothing as he stood there staring back at the two women with vacant eyes, seeing and yet not really seeing.

With the soldier taken care of, Jamila rushed from her cell, heading for the door, Eshe on her heels. She prayed that they were not too late to undone the damage the Youkai and her husband had done.

Aye, her husband, for this tragedy, she blamed him as well. His hands were as blood stained as the Youkai that even now slay her people.

If he had not been so pigheaded, if only he had heeded her warnings, none of this would have happened in the first place. Jamila took a calming breath. She could not anger cloud her mind right now. The only thing she need think of was her daughter and the Book of the Dead.

OoOoOoOoO

"We have arrived," the masked Agyptian said.

Jikininki felt his blood pounding with anticipation. Finally. The journey through the maze of halls, stairs and doors had seemed endless, but now, finally, he would have the child and the Book.

All was within his grasp.

The Agyptian stepped towards the wall and placed a hand on the structure. Jikininki felt the air sizzle with energy a moment before the wall rose up, revealing stairs leading into darkness.

The two followed the stairs down, deep beneath the palace. They came to yet another door and stopped.

"There are mdjai behind this door guarding the Princess," the Agyptian warned.

Jikininki pulled his blade from it sheath and nodded at the door.

"Open it," he commanded.

The male grinned and bowed.

"As you wish," he said as he straightened and walked to the door and placed his hand upon it.

Again, Jikininki felt the air sizzle, although this time, sizzles was a hell of a lot stronger. Without warning, the Agyptian poured forth his energy. The door exploded, as the energy shattered the door and continued on, heading directly for one of the mdjai standing guard.

He never even realized what hit him before death claimed him, disintegrating his body in a blast of gold light.

Distracted by the noise and the death of their comrade, the two remaining mdjai did not notice the two males until it was too late for them as well.

Jikininki sprang forward, swinging his sword in an arc and severing the head of one mdjai, while the tanned Agyptian rushed the other soldier. But rather than kill him, he merely slinked behind the male and grasped his forehead, and slinked his muscled arm around the male's neck and held him in a tight grip.

The male gasped for breath.

"You….you're one of us," the mdjai gasped out, seeing the tanned arm that held him as well as feeling the energy of a fellow Agyptian, "……why….?"

"The true God will rise and darkness will fall upon us all," the masked Agyptian said with a bright grin.

"Nay, you cannot wish it so!" the mdjai gasped out.

"Aye, I wish it so," he said as he gave a hard twist to the male's neck, smiling brighter when he heard the crack of bone.

"Was that really necessary?" Jikininki asked as he slashed his sword in the air once to remove the blood staining it, "Must you play with your victims?"

The masked male merely shrugged, his eyes twinkling with childlike amusement. Jikininki chuckled and turned towards the final door. With excitement coursing through his veins, he rushed the door and gave a mighty kick. The door caved instantly, falling to the ground like a twig.

As he looked around the room, his excitement slowly drained from his body, leaving only anger.

Inside the room was a cradle, linen pillows upon the floor, a few toys and a bowl of fruit, nothing else. It was empty. It was clear that a child had occupied the room, however, how long ago that had been, he could not say for certain. He turned angrily to the Agyptian.

"Where is the Princess?" he demanded, "You said she was here,"

"And she was," the male said, his grin intact despite the Youkai's anger.

Walking over to a wall on the opposite side of the door, he pressed hard on a stone. The stone sank in and the entire wall receded into the roof, revealing another secret passage way.

"They think to escape," the Agyptian said simply.

"Then we will follow," Jikininki said making his way over to the passage way.

The Agyptian shook his head.

"Nay, there is something here we need first," he said walking over to the crib.

"We have not time for whatever it is, they are getting away," Jikininki said impatiently.

The Agyptian said nothing as he lifted the pillows and soft linen from the cradle and tossed them over his shoulder. As he began to rip apart the wooden cradle, Jikininki began to grow curious. He walked over to see what the masked male was about. He reached his side just in time to see him lift a Book made of pure gold from the remains of the cradle.

Jikininki's eyes widened at the marvelous sight. It was the Book of the Dead, at long last.

Reaching forward, Jikininki took the book from the male. He closed his eyes in rapture as the power the Book contained flowed over him, sending goose bumps up and down his spine.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the Book. This Book was his, it was his destiny.

Or at least part of it.

It was time to claim the girl. She was the key to the Book. They wasted no time, both ran for the secret passage way and began to run down the dark, damp hall.

"Where does this lead?" Jikininki asked as he ran, slipping the Book into his kimono where it pulsed against his heart.

"It leads to a deserted part of the city that is close to the gates leading out to the Olufemi Palace," the Agyptian responded.

So, that's where they were headed.

"You may want to stop them," the Agyptian said with amusement caking his words, "I cannot say that I will be able to help you should they find shelter within the Palace,"

Jikininki narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as they exited the palace and rushed out towards the deserted city. The sound of a child crying reached their ears and both males put on a burst of speed. Jikininki smiled once more when they came upon the forms of two Agyptian women fleeing.

Flexing his claws, Jikininki struck down one female, cleaving her in two. The other female stopped, staring at the dead woman on the ground with absolute horror, a child clutched against her bosom.

"Bahiti!" the female cried out, tears instantly coming to her blue eyes.

"Give me the child," Jikininki said, taking a step forward.

"Nay!" the woman cried, taking several steps back, her hold on the child becoming tighter, a crazed look in her eyes, "Leave here monster! Demon! Spawn of the devil!"

A flash of tanned skin sped by Jikininki. In the blink of an eye, the masked Agyptian had moved, one hand tearing the child from the woman's arms, the other planting a dagger into her soft belly. The woman stood stunned as the Agyptian male twisted the blade, bringing bubbling, warm blood to the woman's lips.

The Agyptian's lips turned up in a smile as he yanked the child and dagger from the woman and turned back to Jikininki. The woman crumpled to the ground, her hand going to the hole in her abdomen where blood gushed freely from the fatal wound.

The child wailed loudly in the Agyptian's arms, her little fists balled up and waving back and forth in agitation.

"Nay, nay little one," the masked Agyptian said soothingly as he rocked her gently, "you must not cry so. Today is a joyous day, today is the day you begin your journey to your destiny,"

Jikininki watched dispassionately as the Agyptian soothed the child with his soft words. They had the child; finally, it would all begin. His power, his immortality was all within reach.

"Now, now fretful one, do not frown so," the Agyptian said with a smirk as he lifted the baby high above his head, "You will look like your sourpuss, shrew of a mother of you do so,"

The child seemed to be considering his words, for she stared down at him, watching him intently with pale blue eyes.

"Ah, would you at those eyes. How they will glow with power one day," the Agyptian continued on.

"Let us be off," Jikininki said, "There is a boat waiting on the shore at the edge of the city that will take you and the child to Japan,"

The Agyptian raised a brow at that.

"You will not be joining us?" the masked male asked.

"Be not a fool, I cannot leave her until this war is over between the Agyptians and Japanese, it would be suspicious,"

The tanned male smiled and nodded his head. Turning, he whistled lowly, and seemingly from no where, Agyptian males appeared atop some of the deserted buildings of the equally deserted city. All the males wore black tunics laced with gold and wore their hair long and in high ponytails.

One of the males leap down to the two males, he kneeled before the masked Agyptian.

"Stand," the Agyptian said.

The male instantly straightened.

Walking over to the male, the masked male handed the male the child.

"Take her to where the boat awaits, I will be along shortly," the Agyptian turned to Jikininki, "I would know the new name you wish to give the girl, it would not do to keep her name the same,"

Jikininki nodded and thought for a moment.

"We will call her, Kagome," he said after a moments pause.

The Agyptian nodded and smiled, clearly pleased with the name.

"Take Kagome to the boat and wait," the Agyptian commanded.

"Why do you not go with them?" Jikininki asked as the males started off towards the boat.

Just then, two women emerged from the secret passage, one of them in particular looked familiar. The Queen; Jamila.

"Because you will need my assistance," said the masked male with a wide grin.

OoOoOoOoO

From her place on the ground, Khepri wheezed, trying to breathe, trying to think. She could not. Already she could feel her life slipping from her as fast and freely as the blood that streamed from her wound. Reaching up with a bloody, trembling hand, she grasped the necklace in her hand. In her haste, she snapped the chin, and clutched the figurine so hard the sharp edges dug into her hand, tearing her flesh.

The pain went unnoticed by Khepri. She felt no pain at all, and that is what frightened her the most.

She felt adrift, no longer part of her own body.

She could hear the slowing beats of her heart, her shallow breaths. She was dying.

'Amun-Ra….don't let me die….please….I am not ready…..' she prayed as darkness began to lap at her senses.

She didn't want to go; she had dreams of a home, a husband, and children.

She wasn't ready to go! Surely the Gods would not be so cruel as to take her from the world so soon when she had only just began to live? It had to be some sort of mistake. Someone had to save her, she wasn't ready.

She wasn't ready!

'Please……please……………………..please………………………………………..'

Her sight darkened, the image of the two males fading away, her grip on the necklace loosening. The Amun-Ra replication slipped from her hand to fall soundlessly up on the ground, as blue eyes stared sightlessly up at the sky above.

_**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it!**_

**_Darkness living in Hope- I am so glad that you are enjoying everything so far and thank you for your good luck wishes!_**

**_CrystallineEmeraldTears- I am glad to have so ensnared you with this story, and I am glad you are enjoying the story so far. I'm curious to know where you think this story is headed, I've been trying to be a bit vague in some areas so that no one will guess what is to happen, but if you've got me all figured out, I'd love to hear your theory _****_J _**

_**Until the next chapter!**_

_**Please review!**_

_**Laters**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	7. All is Lost

_**Chapter seven:**_

_**All is Lost**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

Sounga wiped the sweat and soot from his face as one of his soldiers tied a bandage tightly around his left upper arm. The wound was deep and bleeding like a river but wasn't serious, though the blood loss made him more than a bit light headed.

Damn but Pharaoh Bomani was a tough bastard.

Sounga had barely been able to escape with his arm attached. While Bomani had been fighting to kill him, Sounga had not been battling with that same set of mind.

No, Sounga had no intention of killing the Pharaoh, merely to figure out what in the hell had gone wrong. Everything had been going so damn well and peaceful. He wanted to know how it all had gone to hell in such a short time.

Surely the Pharaoh had not planed this from the beginning.

Sounga would have been able to tell if the Pharaoh had been. Something had happened, and he was determined to find out what.

But first, he had to calm the Pharaoh, and hopefully that would stop the warring between his and Jikininki soldiers and the Agyptian people. But he couldn't do that now. Right now, Bomani was viewing his brother Hondo's body to confirm it was indeed him. Now would not be a good time for him to try and speak to Bomani. They would only fight once more.

Sounga thanked the soldier as he finished patching him up and stood, awaiting any further instructions.

"How many soldiers have we lost so far?" Sounga asked, sitting back on the bundle of fur that was to be his bed.

The large tent he resided in was set up a few miles away from the city, located in the middle of the smaller tents set up by the remaining soldiers. It had been hours since he had evaded Bomani and sent out the order for any remaining soldiers to flee the city and report to Sounga, the order went for Jikininki's soldiers as well as the male was still missing.

The fact that Jikininki was missing was something that was significant, at least to Sounga.

He was not sure if the male's absence meant he was still fighting or possibly up to something more. Knowing him as he did, Sounga was more inclined to believe the latter rather than the former.

Jikininki loved to fight, but he loved causing trouble more.

"Sir," the soldier said, bringing Sounga from his thoughts, "We know not how many men have been lost as of yet. We are still counting, and more and more soldiers are still arriving some fatally wounded, others without a scratch,"

Sounga nodded. At least the soldiers were retuning, wounded or otherwise. For those that died, their bodies would at least be able to be taken back to their country and their loved ones for a proper burial.

"Has Lord Jikininki bee found?" he asked next.

"Nay, my Lord, but his man, Ranka, is here. He was wounded in the ambush and has since been here receiving medical care by the healers. He is expected to make a full recovery,"

"Has he been questioned?"

The soldier shook his head.

"He has been in and out of consciousness, and the drugs have made him incoherent,"

Sounga nodded.

"You are dismissed, soldier. Keep me updated,"

The soldier clicked his heels together, saluted Sounga and quit the room, leaving him to brood over the situation.

Dear Lord, what a mess.

Everything had been going so well, and they had been so close to making an alliance. Now it seemed they had only succeeded in starting a war.

Dammit all to hell.

This was not what he wanted, nor was it what he needed.

He stood and began to pace inside his tent, his thoughts going over each and every possible conflict that could have occurred to make the Pharaoh ambush his men and slaughter them all without a single hint of mercy.

What had caused this sudden change in the Agyptian people?

Sure, there were some that had sided with their Queen and had resented their presence as much as she had but surely, _**surely**_, the discontentment had not been so bad that the Agyptian people would stage an ambush and kill innocent soldiers that were just obeying orders?

How had he so grossly underestimated that resentment?

Rubbing his forehead, he closed his eyes against the pounding behind his skull. His head felt like shit.

Opening his eyes, he walked towards the flap leading outside the tent. He opened the flaps and walked out into the darkening sky. He inhaled a fresh breath of air and turned his attention to the fire blazing a good distance away.

The entire city seemed to be on fire, blazing and burning, the screams of the people inside reaching his ears even from the great distance. The scent of smoke was heavy on the air, choking those that had no choice but to breathe it in. The great heat from the wild fire made the air humid and sticky.

It was a sad sight.

His eyes were somber as he thought of his next steps. He would have to write a letter and send his quickest soldier to deliver it to the clan leaders of Japan.

In that letter, one thing would be completely clear.

Japan needed to prepare its self for war.

OoOoOoOoO

Jamila scanned the area, searching desperately for some sign of her daughter. Her heart clenched as she took in the grizzly scene. On the floor, Bahiti lay in two pieces, blood and organs littering the ground. Jamila covered her mouth and averted her face as her stomach turned over and bile rose to her throat.

Poor Bahiti, that sweet, sweet woman had never done anything wrong to anyone. She had taken care of her daughter as well as Jamila herself.

Amun-Ra rest her soul.

Again, she looked around the deserted part of the city; her eyes touching on every empty structure before once more moving on.

Another body stopped her roaming eyes. Jamila's sharply intake breath was auditable as she rushed to the still form. She knew, from the blood and sightless look upon the young woman's face that she had long ago passed into the Underworld.

Khepri lay sprawled and blood on the cold, cold ground, one hand still desperately clutching the pendent of Amun-Ra in her stiff, pale hand.

Jamila stumbled as guilt nearly consumed her. Gods, she should never have commanded Khepri to try and escape with her daughter! This was her fault. Khepri's blood was as much on her hands as Khepri's murder. Jamila herself may as well have taken a blade to her!

She was too young! She had barely had begun to live life!

Tears threatened, and Jamila took a steadying breath, barely aware of Eshe murmuring words of comfort as she embraced her. How had all of this happened? How had her life gone to Hell so quickly and thoroughly? Gods help her, what was she to do?

She was only one woman!

Was this some sort of test from the Gods? Or was it some sort of divine punishment?

Jamila was inclined to believe the latter. What she had done to deserve such cruelty remained a mystery to her.

A movement caught her attention. Pushing back the despair, Jamila's sharp gaze instantly sharpened on it. She could see two male's standing before a group of kneeling, masked, Agyptians. One of the male's she recognized as the foreigner Lord Jikininki and the other male was a masked Agyptian that seemed oddly familiar to her as well.

Her heart clenched once more. There was only one conclusion as to why there would be Agyptians and the foreigner together.

Traitors.

It was so damn hard to believe! Agyptians were known to be fiercely loyal individuals, not to be swayed by money or any other form of bribery! This was impossible! She could not believe her eyes! She turned to Eshe who wore an equally stunned expression.

But as the Jamila watched the men rise and the masked male speak to the group of men and the foreigner, she knew in her heart that treachery was indeed at hand. Suddenly, the masked male handed over a small bundle of flailing limbs.

Her daughter! That monster had Kamilah!

The Agyptian men were taking her daughter away!

"Nay!" she cried as she rushed forward, barely aware of Eshe following.

The two men turned as she ran towards them. Her heart in her throat, Jamila watched as the men took her daughter away.

"Eshe stop them!" Jamila commanded desperately.

If Eshe could control those men and make them come back, they would be able to get Kamilah back.

Eyes glowing, Eshe tried to reach the mind of the fleeing Agyptians. The masked Agyptian with the foreigner stepped forward, blocking her line of energy. As her energy touched his mind, a strange reaction occurred. Instead of seizing his mind, her energy bounced off and hurtled back at her.

Eshe grunted as she was thrown back. Her teeth rattled as she hit the trunk of a nearby tree. Jamila stopped and turned to her cousin.

"Eshe!" Jamila called out, worried her cousin had been hurt, "Eshe answer me!"

"I would worry about myself, not her," said a voice.

Jamila turned back to the males in time to see the masked male move. She barely had time to bring up her golden palms to fend off his vicious attack. Steal clashed with gold palms, the sound ringing in her ears.

The male smiled behind the mask, a crazed look in his eyes.

"Ahhh, darling Jamila. You have arrived at last," he said.

Jamila's eyes widened at the sound of his voice. That voice, why did it sound so damn familiar? Not only did his voice seem familiar but his height and build, the way in which he spoke her name. It all seemed familiar. _He_ seemed familiar.

"Who are you?" Jamila demanded as she pushed on the blade of his short sword.

The masked male retreated a few steps back, a big smile on his face.

"Oh come now, my dear Queen, surely you know who I am," the male said raising his blade in preparation for another attack.

Jamila raked her brain, trying to think of who the male was. She felt sure she knew who he was but she could not quite put her finger on his identity. He seemed so familiar. His voice, the way he spoke, the way he fought, his very energy and aura.

She knew him somehow.

Seeing him raise his blade, Jamila lifted her palms in a defensive position, crouching low to the ground as she braced herself.

"Remove the mask from your face. Reveal yourself to me," she demanded.

"Nay, dear Queen. That would not do, where would be the fun in that?" the male asked as he leapt gracefully forward, swing his sword in a high arch.

Jamila clenched her teeth as the metal clashed against her golden palms, pushing her back a bit. Digging down with her heels, Jamila stopped her backward decent and pushed forward, striking out at blinding speed.

"This is not about fun, damn you!" she huffed between strikes, "You are an Agyptian male! How can you betray your own people?"

The male's eyes gleamed with delight from behind his mask as he ducked and dodged every attack. Laughter filled the air, dark and cruel, fueling Jamila's burning temper. His obvious amusement and enjoyment over the circumstances in which they found themselves in chafed.

She wanted to hurt him.

She wanted to kill him.

How could this male, this Agyptian betray his own people for the likes of the foreigners? Had he no sense of pride? No sense of justice? Anger burst in her veins, hot and potent. True hatred nearly blinded her.

Never before had she felt anything close to the rage that boiled in her heart and soul.

She had never thought of herself as someone as cruel or even violent, but after the birth of her child and the arrival of the foreigners, Jamila was beginning to discover a side of herself she had never before seen. A side she had never even known existed. A side that was will and ready to do anything, go to any length to protect that which she loved; her daughter, her lands, her people.

It was a shocking revelation.

She had always scorned and condemned those that used violence as a means to get what they wanted most, and yet here she was here, contemplating the most painful way to take the life of the two males that stood before as smug as anyone she had ever seen in her life.

Even as she realized she was not behaving in a way that was normal, she found that she could not seem to care.

The male's shoulders shook with mirth, making his footing unsteady.

Seeing an opening, she wasted no time. Jamila grabbed onto the blade, ignoring the pain as it cut deep into her soft skin, reared back and let her other palm fly towards the male, all her pent up frustration and energy igniting and bursting through that one attack, aimed directly at his much hated, masked face. Caught off guard, he had no chance to defend himself.

Jamila felt a strong sense of satisfactions as the male went flying, heading right for the dark haired Youkai that hovered a few feet away.

As he flew backwards, the foreigner stepped aside to avoid being caught in the impact.

Jamila barely spared the loud rumbling of the Agyptian's crash a second thought before she turned her attention to the foreigner.

"You have stolen that which does not belong to you," Jamila said, her blue eyes glowing a vivid blue, "You will return the Book and my daughter or I shall peel the very flesh from your bones,"

"Do you really think you are in any position to make threats and demands, my Queen?" the dark haired male asked softly.

"It matters not what my position is!" Jamila yelled, "Give me the Book and my daughter! Now!"

The Youkai lifted a brow, clearly unconcerned with the threat.

"And what reason would I have to do such a thing?" he asked calmly, "With the Book and your daughter, I will become a God,"

"Fool! You will find only death, darkness and despair if you read from the Book! You know not what evil you toy with!"

"Nor do I care," Jikininki said with a smile, "When I am God, the evils of this Book shall not dare incite my anger. "

"You will fall victim of the Book," Jamila warned, her body shaking in anger,"You know not what you do. That masked Agyptian knows well that the Book contains unspeakable evil. He is using you for his own means. You are blinded by your own greed!"

"As I am using him," he said with amusement, "We are using each other. You did not think I was so blind that I could not see that for myself?"

Jamila thought that the male was one of the stupidest people she had ever come across. He knew he was being used and simply did not care. Did he not understand that he was trifling with something that could potentially destroy the world? Did he not understand that no one could control the chaos and destruction that was contained in the golden pages of the Book?

Amun-Ra help her, she knew the answers to those questions.

The Youkai had no clue.

"Give me the Book!" she gritted between clenched teeth, the color of her eyes turning stormy.

Crimson eyes narrowed on her glowing eyes.

"If you want the Book, come and claim it,"

With a burst of anger, Jamila attacked, sparing no amount of energy. The male barely had time to draw his weapon before she was upon him, a golden palm directed at his heart.

Jikininki could do naught but dodge. Jamila, however, was dead set and determined to end his existence. Shifting her momentum, she lunged for his throat.

Jikininki brought up his sword, deflecting the blow, before raising his sword once more to block another attack aimed at another vital organ of his body.

Jamila would not be put off. Separating the energy in her body, she pushed an even amount down to her feet. As her feet began to glow as golden as her palms, she once more went on the attack. Beneath her feet, the earth began to tremble, the air becoming charged and suffocating.

Jikininki's eyes widened in surprise as the ground beneath his boots gave way, and sandy hands grasped his ankles and calves.

He grunted as he struggled to free himself from the sandy grip. Jamila took advantage of the slight distraction. Her palms charged, glowing brighter than ever. She charged, her feet silent upon the grassy ground.

Jikininki barely had a glimpse of the fast moving Agyptian female before she was upon him.

Her palms slammed into his chest with brutal force. Satisfaction coursed through her veins as the feeling of crushed bones vibrated beneath her palms.

Blood gurgled from the male's lips, dripping from his lips to his chin. His eyes stared into her own making his shock and anger completely visible. Jamila's lips curled into a cruel, cold smile as more blood dribbled past his lips.

"You were warned," she hissed to him, "Give me the Book. Now,"

"Fuck you," he sneered, bring his sword up in an upward arch.

Jamila leapt back a few feet, the sand creatures disappearing as she moved.

Jikininki collapsed to his knee, wheezing, trying to draw breath through his crushed chest. He felt as though he were drowning, and if the blood streaming from his mouth was any indication, then the feeling was very accurate.

"You will give me the Book!" she screamed.

His hand came up to the Book pulsing so close to his heart beneath his clothing. There was no fucking way she was getting his Book, not after all he'd worked for, and not after all he'd done to obtain it. She would have to pry it from his cold dead hands first.

Seeing the defiance in his eyes, Jamila stepped closer to him, anger and rage washing over her in waves, her eyes snapping with malice.

She would kill this male, this _**foreigner**_.

"_**Give me the Book!**_" she thundered.

"You know not what you do, Youkai," Eshe said as she staggered over to her Queen, "You will bring destruction to this world! None will be untouched by the darkness you will unleash if you read from the Book! You will not become a God; you will die a painful death or worse! Do you not care?"

Eshe looked a bit dazed, her clothing dirty and spattered with dark, sticky blood. Her face was just beginning to bruise and swell, the right side of her face a dark blue-purple. Despite her injuries, Jamila knew her cousin would be of assistance.

"I care not for what horrors will befall upon this earth," Jikininki said wheezing loudly, "I care only for my own ambitions! My own goals!"

The ground rumbled, shaking the very earth beneath their feet. Jamila and Eshe readied themselves, crouching a bit as energy rushed into their palms, their wary eyes shifting here and there, trying to locate the cause of the rumbling noise.

Suddenly, Jamila sensed it, slinking through the ground beneath their feet. She turned to Eshe, panic clear on her face.

"Eshe, move!" she cried out.

As she called out the warning, Jamila knew she was too late.

The ground behind Eshe broke apart, and from the ground spikes rose, impaling her cousin and lifting her into the air. The spikes were large and spear shaped, and so clustered together the looked giant, black claws.

Eshe's scream of pain rang across the clearing, the scent of blood instantly filling the noses of those watching.

Laughter mingled with her screams.

Jamila felt her stomach as she looked across the field at the masked Agyptian. His arm was buried in the ground, a pleased smile on his lips, his eyes gleaming in amusement. There was not a scratch on his body.

"Release her!" Jamila screamed.

"As you wish, my lovely Queen," he said.

Another rumble shook the earth, and as fast as the spikes appeared, they vanish, sinking back into the earth as the masked male pulled his arm from the dirt.

Eshe fell to the ground with a sickening thud, her body sprawled out like a broken doll.

Blood soaked the ground around her from the gushing wounds in her abdomen and chest. Jamila rushed to her fallen cousin, falling to her knees next to her still body.

Eshe looked up at her with slightly glazed blue eyes, blood dribbling from her trembling lips, nose, and ears. Jamila knew what was happening, could sense her cousin's life draining as quickly and freely from her body as the sticky crimson blood that soaked both their clothing.

"Eshe…" Jamila breathed, tears burning her eyes.

Eshe took a breath, her body shuttering, seeming to struggle to even draw the air into her lungs. Jamila grasped her bloody hand in her own, holding back a sob of pure despair.

"Eshe…I'm so…so sorry," she sobbed, "This is my fault. You were only trying to help me reclaim my daughter. She's my daughter, I should have come alone. I should have-"

"Nay," Eshe whispered, a weak smile upon her face, "Kamilah is my….blood…..my kin. I die…..gladly….. for…her….."

Tears ran over Jamila's cheeks as Eshe's eyes completely glazed over, losing their shinning glow of life and her dear cousin took her last, shallow breath.

Reaching out, Jamila ran a trembling hand along her cousin's soft, bloody cheek. She couldn't be gone. Not Eshe, not dear sweet Eshe. Tears blinded her, the world seemed to stop, her heart felt torn in twain. It hurt to breathe, it hurt think, at that moment, everything hurt. A pain so deep it seemed to seep into her very bones, her very soul.

"Don't…." Jamila whispered, "Don't go Eshe….."

She had lost her daughter, Bahiti and Khepri had met a cruel and brutal end, her people were even now fighting for their lives, fighting and dying, her land, her country was being brought to its very needs and now this. Now her cousin, Eshe, was dead.

It was too much, too much to bear.

That laughter once more rang in her ears. That mocking laughter, that sickening, half-mad laughter from that cruel betraying masked Agyptian!

Jamila turned to the laughing male across the field, her eyes snapping with a mad rage she had never before in her life felt until this very moment.

He would dare…

He would dare to laugh in her presence when he had betrayed his own people.

He would dare to laugh when he had stolen her daughter and taken her to Gods where and given the Book of the Dead to this _**foreigner**_.

Her fist clenched, her teeth ground together so hard she felt sure her jaw would break. He would die this day.

While the Queen seemed preoccupied by the death of her cousin and the amusement of the masked Agyptian, Jikininki crawled to the safety of the empty buildings behind him. He could feel the pure energy, the pure malice radiating from that woman, and he knew without a doubt that she was getting ready to unleash an attack the likes of which he had never seen before and certainly had no intention of experiencing first hand.

As the clouds over head began to darken, blocking out the sun, Jikininki knew he had made the right decision. The wind picked up, whirling and whispering until it whipped around them as though from the beginning of a hurricane.

Energy pulse in the air, making it hard to breathe and yet the masked Agyptian seemed not in the least bothered or disturbed by the displayed of power. The madman was grinning like the crazy fool he was, seeming to welcome it all.

The wind picked up Jamila's hair, swinging it wildly about her face, her eyes glowing a bright vivid blue, crackling with something akin to lightening, giving her the look of something evil and savage.

Her palms began to glow a deep gold, heat radiating from them.

From the amount of concentrated energy, Jikininki could tell that the Queen was gearing up for one big attacked with the intent of taking them both out with one shot.

He peeked from behind the shelter of the building he hid behind in time to see her launch herself at the smiling masked Agyptian, a cry of rage, of pure savagery on her lips.

She was moving fast, faster than before.

Jikininki held his breath as she got closer to the masked Agyptian, her eyes wild, energy rolling off her in choking waves.

The masked Agyptian raised his hand as she neared, not to defend himself, but instead to raise his gleaming, golden, mocking mask. Jamila's eyes widened, and she stopped, mid attack, her eyes filled with horror, disbelief and instant recognition.

As suddenly as it came, her energy depleted completely.

The wind died down, the sky slowly began to clear, the gold hue of her palms fading away and all the while Jamila stared at the Agyptian's uncovered face.

"It….It can't be," she whispered, taking a horrified step back, "Nay…you would never! She is your- You are dead!"

Handsome lips twitched upward into an amused smile before laughter once more filled her ears.

"Nay…." She whispered again, "This cannot be true….you cannot be who you look like….this has to be some sort of-"

"Trick?" the Agyptian male asked, "Nay, I assure you, it is not trick, Jamila dear,"

Jamila took another step back, dizzy with shock, her legs barely holding her up.

Suddenly he moved towards her, blade flashing. Jamila had no time to move, no time to do anything. His strike was precise and fatal. But at that moment, Jamila could not find the will to care. Not after the mysterious Agyptian had revealed himself, not after she finally figured out the reason behind his betrayal, and her hand in it, unintentional though it may have been.

She had brought destruction upon her people. She was just as responsible as he was.

Her hands were as filthy as her own!

Jamila could feel the blood from her chest wound begin to soak the front of her clothing, turning the pearl white linen a deep crimson as the Agyptian male pulled the blade from her chest and leapt backwards, his smile firmly in place.

Jamila collapsed to her knees, staring at her hands covered in her own blood. But she saw not only her blood, but the blood of her people, the blood of her cousin, Khepri, Bahiti…her daughter.

She looked up into the Agyptian male's face.

"You traitor…." She accused softly, "You would do this to your own-"

"You are as much of a traitor as I Jamila," the Agyptian male said pulling his mask back in place, "I could not have brought this destruction to Agyptia, could not have given the Book to the Youkai, could not have gotten a hold of your daughter without your help, dear, lovely Queen. This you know,"

"I will not rest until I see you dead, my soul will never be at peace until I have seen you suffer," Jamila said fiercely.

The male grinned behind his mask, squatting down to come nose to nose to her, his lips nearly touching her own.

"I know that, dear woman. This is known to me, hate me. Hate me until you are sickened with it," he said just as fiercely and passionately, "Hate me until I can't sleep at night, hate me until I dream of that hatred. Hate me Jamila. _**Hate me**_,"

Jamila spit in his face. Already hating him and hating herself.

He smiled a savage smile before rearing back and smacking her clean across the face, sending her sprawling next to her cousin's dead body.

Jamila lay prone on the cold ground, too weak to move again. Tears leaked from her eyes, trickling down the side of her temples. Her body felt so damn heavy and she was so, so tired.

A shadow appeared over her. The tall form of the Agyptian male blocked the sun above her. He kneeled down beside her, bloody blade in hand. Jamila forced her mind away from what happened next. She looked up at the dark sky above head, tuning out the feel of the Agyptian's blade stabbing into her body repeatedly; ignore the feel of the pool of blood she lay in get bigger, refused to listen to the sounds of her own screams of pain.

She focused only on the sky as she remembered it during the days with her daughter.

The light blueness of it, reminding her of her daughter's eyes, though Kamilah's eyes were a lighter shade of blue, nearly white they were. And perfect. So damned perfect.

It was a while before she realized the masked Agyptian and his Youkai were gone and that the blue sky in her memory faded.

She felt no pain; she felt nothing at all really. Just a clam, blessed numbness. She felt herself being sucked into the sleep of the dead. The edges of her vision grew dark until her sight completely dark and the only thing left to her was her hearing.

She knew she would die within seconds, but not before she completed one last task. One final act of defiance in the face of death.

With one weak, pale hand, she reached up and dipped her fingers into one of the gapping, bleeding wounds in her chest and began to draw symbols upon her body. One upon her forehead, one directly over her heart and another in the middle of her chest.

Once done, she let her arm drop like the heavy burden it had become and slowly, sluggishly began to chant as death came to claim her; wrapping her in a cold blanket of darkness.

OoOoOoOoO

_**CrystallineEmeraldTears- I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!**_

_**Lovely- Thanks, I'm working on keeping both stories updated more often.**_

_**Darkness living in Hope- I hope you're enjoying the story so far.**_

_**For those who have not reviewed, please take the time and do so. It is a quick and painless process, I promise you.**_

_**Laters**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	8. Meeting of the Clans

_**Chapter Eight:**_

_**Meeting of the Clans**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha**_

_**December 11**__**th**__**, 2999 B.C.**_

The sun was just beginning to rise, bright red and orange, spreading across the dark morning sky. Streaks of light splashed over the dark clouds replacing the darkness with light. The masked Agyptian stood at the very front of the boat, the wind pulling and tugging his long dark hair, throwing it about his face and shoulders.

The smile curving his face was wide and satisfied.

They were finally going to land on the outside of Japan. Already he could see the rapidly approaching green land. Placing his hands on his hips, he leaned back and stretched, sighing in relief when his back gave a loud crack before relaxing.

As they drew closer, he saw a lone form standing upon the land, obviously awaiting their landing. Behind him, the soft cooing of an infant filled his ears.

He turned and walked over to where the child lay cradled in a small basket. One of his followers sat near the child, the Book of the Dead open on his lap. His tanned fingers flipped through the pages, his deep blue eyes looking at the symbols and spells, searching for the correct passage that would begin the process.

Walking past the male, he looked into the basket.

The child looked up at him with light blue eyes, curiosity clear in those wide innocent pools. Her little rosebud mouth puckered into a wide nearly toothless smile.

Reaching out a hand, gently the masked male placed a strong tanned finger into the small soft hand of the little girl. His smile widened as she gripped his finger strongly instantly trying to bring the captured appendage to her open mouth.

"Kagome is hungry," the male with the Book said without looking up.

"I can see that, Haliando," the masked male said with a smile, "Where is the cook?"

"Below in the kitchen,"

Reaching into the basket, the masked male scooped up the child and cradled her against his chest as he headed below deck. Below there were only four small bedrooms, his own cabin and a kitchen. A total number of six per room made the rooms seem even smaller. Although there were more people on the ship than the rooms could hold, half of the men rowed for part of the day and then swapped places with the males cramped in the six rooms. The arrangement seemed to be working out fine so far.

The boat itself was small and cramp but strong and sturdy. It wasn't the most stylish vessel in Agyptia but it was well built to suit their purpose which was to merely take Kagome and a small group of followers over to Japan. So far the small vessel was serving its purpose quite efficiently.

As the masked Agyptian walked down the steps leading to the rooms below deck, Kagome pulled on the strands of his dark hair that lay over the front of his shoulders, laughing as the fine silky material tickled her fingers. He smiled slightly from behind his mask, his eyes gleaming with amusement and some other unreadable emotion.

He entered the kitchen to find a slender Agyptian female leaning over a large hanging caldron stirring what smelled of fish, seaweed and kelp. The scent was very pleasing to his nose and stomach judging from the loud growling, gurgling noise that erupted from it.

The kitchen was the largest area on the ship but even so, it was cramped and barely seated more than a dozen people at once, so most of the men not lucky enough to secure a seat at the small table had to eat their meals above deck. A small table and six chairs sat nailed to the floor in a corner across from the hearth and pots and pans lined the walls on nails.

The cook turned, her pretty face flushed from the heat of the kitchen.

"Are ye hungry, sire?" she inquired.

"Aye," the masked male said, "Kagome as well,"

The female nodded and turned to grab two of the clay bowls stacked above the small hearth and two spoons on the sturdy shelf. Picking up the ladle, she spooned in a healthy portion of fish, kelp and seaweed broth into the bowls and set them on the table.

He walked over to the table and took a seat, sitting Kagome down atop the table in front of him. He fed her first, being sure to blow the soup before feeding her spoonful after spoonful of fish, seaweed and kelp broth. Kagome ate cheerfully, clapping her hands after each bite. The Agyptian male could only smile at her behavior.

After they had finished eating, he took her back up above deck, out into the fresh air. Haliando was still shifting through the Book, his dark brows low over his eyes as he read each page quickly and quietly before moving on to the next page.

The masked male looked towards the land before them just as the ship began to slow, preparing to land.

Around him men began to shout out orders, rushing to and fro to prepare the ship for a smooth landing. The male standing on the land waiting for them was a tall Japanese Youkai. Long dark hair was pulled back and up in a high ponytail, revealing average features and piercing brown eyes. He wore a long, plain hooded black robe.

As the ship came to a stop, the masked Agyptian leap over board, Kagome squealing with delight in his arms. The surrounding area was rich with dark green leafy trees, providing more than adequate shade, the grass was healthy and many flowers bloomed in thick patches here and there. The sky was a deep blue, the sun was out and shinning but the big fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky dimmed the intense rays.

He approached the robed male who immediately bowed to one knee, his right hand fisted over his heart.

"Sire," he said from his place on the ground.

"You are a servant of Jikininki?" the Agyptian asked.

"Aye, sire. My name is Koyuu. I am here to escort you to Lord Jikininki's holding. He has everything prepared for your arrival. If you would but follow me,"

The Agyptian nodded.

"We will await the men before leaving," he said.

"Of course, sire," Koyuu said standing.

Behind them, the activity on the boat began to wane and men began to climb down from the ship. The sound of Kagome's gurgling baby noises drew the attention of Koyuu and the male observed her with gleaming, serious brown eyes.

"She is the one?" he asked the masked male.

"Aye," he said with a bright smile, "she is the one. She is your Queen, your mother and master,"

The male looked at the child silently, his brown eyes gleaming. He reached out a finger to the little girl, letting her clench his finger tightly.

"Mother," he said softly.

Haliando came to stand behind the masked Agyptian, his nose buried in the Book, still flipping quickly through the pages.

"We are ready to leave, sire," Haliando said without looking up, "A third of the men will come with us and one third of the men will return to Agyptia to coordinate the journey of the rest of our followers,"

"We are ready, Koyuu," the Agyptian said, his smile painfully wide.

Koyuu nodded and extracted his finger from his young master. He turned and led the way up the path to their destination. As they walked, the Agyptian people could not help but look at the differences in vegetation, climate and wild life between their Agyptian land and Japan.

The weather here was cooler than the dry humid weather they were used to back home.

A lot of them felt completely underdressed in their thin linen tunics, shaved heads and bare legs. There were a lot more trees surrounding them and not much sand. The sun was not as intense and a steady breeze seemed to be blowing continuously.

Over all, it wasn't very unpleasant but rather a nice change.

They walked for more than a few hours, stopping often to feed Kagome fruit, cheese and bread from their satchels. Kagome seemed to be enjoying the excursion, speaking gibberish the entire time and eating heartily of the foods handed to her. After the second hour she finally began to tire and upon hearing her small yawns and looking at her tired clear blue eyes, the masked Agyptian cuddled her close to his chest where she promptly fell asleep.

They came upon Kuro land sometime later. The area in which they were in was about six hour's journey from the city and about an hour away from the Kuro palace. A large stone structure caught their attention.

The structure was tall, gray and wide with one large tower rising from its center. It seemed to have been recently built for there was not a crack to be seen and it was very clean. It was shaped in a rectangle; a large outer wall bordered the castle and was surrounded by a large pool of dark water. To be honest, it looked more like a large castle. There was many windows covered with thin glass, the grass around the building was littered with large patches of flowers and tall green trees stood here and there around the property.

The land was very beautiful and very much secluded which suited their purposes completely.

It would not due to be discovered by the world before it was time.

"Lord Jikininki has instructed me to see you to this place and see to anything that you may need that has not already been provided for you, sire, "Koyuu said.

The masked male barely heard him as he was already walking towards the great structure, his grin in place. His blue eyes sparkled.

It was beautiful.

He could feel the rightness of this place. It was a quite a sight to behold. It was strong, made of gray stone. It would stand up against the test of time and assault from outside forces as well as provide a decent prison for his darling Kagome.

The moat would also provide extra protection. He would set Haliando on that as soon as he was able to locate the spell they needed. A few beasts from Hell lurking in those depths would do well.

With Kagome still sleeping in his arms, he walked over to the drawbridge that was let down and provided a bridge over the moat, his mean following at a distance. Inside the area between the stone structure and the outer wall, more grass, flowers and trees on the premises, healthy and colorful.

Inside the structure, light blue and black furniture decorated the Great Hall. The ceiling was high and wide, seeming to stretch forever. The walls were painted a rich sky blue, the doors a pristine white. The floors were made of stone but had been swept of any dirt or grass and were clean enough for anyone to eat off of. On the far side of the room was a platform made of stone. Upon the platform, a large throne sat. The throne was built entirely out of gold, with soft black and crimson cushions attached to make the chair more comfortable.

Everything looked new, expensive and carefully constructed.

Standing along the walls, faces covered by black coverings, two holes cut out at the eyes to allow them to see, though it was hard to tell what color their eyes were, long black robes covered their bodies making it hard to distinguish if the individuals were male or female.

They stood tall and ram rod straight, hands secured behind their backs.

Some had come months before from Agyptia, others were Japanese male and female followers from the different clans. It mattered not where they came from; in just a few days they would become servaliyanns, loyal servants that obeyed their every command without question.

Grin in tact, the masked Agyptian walked over to the platform, Kagome still asleep in his arms.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening," he said gallantly once reaching the platform, "your young master has arrived!"

He turned and stood before the throne, holding Kagome out for all to see. Holding her up underneath her arms, the sleeping child did not wake. Her head lolled to the side, drool dribbling down her little chin.

"She will bring the true God into this world," he said, "This child, she is all that matters. Your life, your needs, your desires mean nothing in the face of this child's wellbeing. Nothing,"

"Aye, sire," the disguised men and women agreed.

"In a few days, you all shall become servaliyanns to this child and the ambition of the one true God of this pathetic world,"

"Aye, sire," came the reply.

The masked Agyptian frowned thoughtfully from behind his mask. It had occurred to him that everyone called him "sire". He needed a name. Not his true, birth name of course, but something he could be called besides simply "sire". Not that he minded being called "sire".

"I am to be called Yafeu," the masked Agyptian proclaimed.

The name Yafeu translated to the word, 'bold', and he was that. It suited him well.

"Aye Master Yafeu," they responded.

"You are all dismissed," Yafeu stated, once more cradling Kagome against his chest.

As the room cleared, he turned his attention back to the sleeping baby girl and Haliando who stood a few feet away, his nose still in buried in the Book. It was taking a long time to find the correct page in the Book, longer than he had expected and he was running out of patience. He was damned tire of waiting.

"Have you found it yet, Haliando?" Yafeu asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Aye, Master Yafeu," Haliando said, his eyes still on the pages.

A smile curved Yafeu's lips. Anger drained from his body and in its place delicious anticipation took its place, washing over him in great waves.

"What is needed and when can it be accomplished?" he asked, barely able to contain his glee.

"We have everything that is needed, sire. The child, the Book and blood sacrifices," Haliando started, "but there are…variables that we may not be able to control,"

Absently, Yafeu stroked Kagome soft black hair, pacing slowly back and forth as he rocked her gently.

"Variables? Of what sort?"

Master Adofo had not mentioned any sort of variables to him when he had left him in charge.

"Side effects, abnormalities that cannot be controlled, urges, compulsions, strengths and weaknesses," Haliando explained.

Yafeu smiled brightly, eyes gleaming. Urges, compulsion, abnormalities, they all sounded disgustingly fascinating to him! They would definitely bring him entertainment if not pain and suffering to those nearby.

"I care not, how soon can we complete the ritual?"

"Tonight if you so wish it," Haliando said, once more focused on the Book.

Yafeu watched him, amusement in his eyes. The young Agyptian seemed to be becoming mesmerized by the Book, by its power and potential. He could not blame the male; he himself was a bit besotted with the Book as well, but he was naturally attracted to power, always had been and he knew he always would be.

"Aye, tonight would be best, this process will take years, centuries to complete," Yafeu said, "We will begin it tonight,"

Excitement bloomed bright in his chest. Looking down at the child, he brought her sleeping form closer to his chest. God he could not wait until this was all over. When everything was as it should have been, and the true God of this world and others would reign free and supreme. And this child, this little girl would see that all of that happened.

"See to the preparations, Haliando. We will start the ritual at dusk," he said turning away, "Koyuu, show us to our rooms,"

"Aye, Master," Koyuu said with a bow as he swept towards the double doors leading upstairs, Yafeu in tow.

They walked down seemingly endless halls, stairs, twists and turns, passing by many expensively decorated sitting rooms, dinning rooms, kitchens and libraries before reaching the top floor of the tower in the middle of the structure where Kagome would reside. The room was large and spacious, decorated in black and dark blue fabrics, bright white candles surrounded the room and only two windows brought sun light into the dismal room, one on the left side, the other on the right side.

A cradle sat in the middle of the room, atop a large, black furred rug. A few toy dolls lined the wall on a wooden shelf on the wall behind the crib, and a few toys sat on the floor of the rug. A book shelf sat below the wooden shelf of dolls, lined with various types of books.

It was a pretty little prison for Kagome.

"This is to be the child's bedroom until she needs to be moved down below to the holding chamber," Koyuu explained.

"Ah, yes, the holding chamber. I should like to view that before viewing my own room,"

"Of course, sire,"

Walking over to the black laced cradle, Yafeu placed the still sleeping child gently into the soft basin. The little girl did not even stir as he turned away, following Koyuu out of the room. The two men walked silently down stairs, and to a door leading down to the rooms beneath the tower.

Koyuu opened the door and led Yafeu inside the large room.

The room was huge and brightly lit with candles and torches. It was mostly bare of furniture except for the large, circular glass container filled with a clear substance and a pedestal placed before it. Yafeu looked around with a sense of excitement. To him, this place was as perfect as Kagome's bedroom had been.

It was dark and dismal and gloomy, its interior cave like and hollow.

He walked over to the tank, gazing up at it with a smile as he placed a hand onto it in an oddly fond gesture.

Everything was going as planned. It was all coming together better and smoother than he had expected.

"The glass was hand made, it took a few years, but the creator has assured us that it is strong enough to our purposes," Koyuu assured him, "The liquid inside is the exact preservative asked for,"

"You have done well," Yafeu said.

"Thank you sire," he said with a slight bow, "I am happy you are pleased,"

He was pleased. He was very, very pleased. Hell, pleased was too tame a word for what he was feeling right now. He was completely, utterly ecstatic.

OoOoOoOoO

"We can not continue this war in this fashion, they must be stopped, and they must be stopped, _**now**_," said Daisuke of the Midori clan, his navy blue eyes snapping with fury.

Tall, dark haired and dark blue eyed, the leader of the Midori clan was as animated as ever when giving his opinions. The handsome ox Youkai was always passionate about his ideals and thoughts, had been for the past ten years he had become the head of the Midori clan. He was young but smart and was not quick to temper, however, with the current situation they were facing, his temper was a little easier to stir than normal.

"They are killing our men left and right and I have even heard tell that they are sneaking onto our lands and are preparing to attack us from within,"

"I quite agree," Hachiro of the Daidaiiro clan chimed in, "Our supplies are low and our soldiers suffer in that damned country due to their attacks upon our ships carrying food and supplies,"

Hachiro was of average height and build and so handsome he could almost be called pretty. His hair was long and a rich blood red; his eyes were light blue and thickly lashed. Unlike, Daisuke, he was usually calm and completely controlled and had never once been known to lose hold of his temper.

Haru of the Haiiro clan murmured his agreement. Haru was one of the younger clan leaders and one of the quieter ones at the table. He was above average height and build, his hair shoulder length and brown. His eyes were a deep dark chocolate brown, calm and warm, his clothing not quite expensive but tasteful.

"Bah! We need not panic now, we will win this war," Katashi of the Kiiro clan scuffed, "Those primitive people are no match for our advanced militia,"

Now Katashi was a law unto himself. Young, outgoing, extremely arrogant and strongly opinionated, he was one of the most charismatic individuals in the meeting room at the moment. His hair was long and blue, his eyes the most startling shade of green. He was all for the war in Agyptia, stating that once the war was over that they should push for control of the little country.

"We need only to attack in a continuous stream. We cannot give them time to regroup. With their Pharaoh in his grief stricken state over the death and mutilation of his brother, he is not sound of mind to properly defend himself against an onslaught of attacks. We must strike now!"

"Mutilation?" Masaru of the Murasaki clan inquired aloud.

Masaru was Katashi's closest and most dear friend. The two had been friends since their childhood days. Where his friend's hair was blue and his eyes green, Masaru's hair was light blond and his eyes a light shade of gray.

"Aye," Katashi said, "His father was hung by the neck from the top of the palace with his intestines, and his vital organs were ripped from his body,"

"That would explain the Pharaoh's sudden animosity and extreme grief," Daisuke commented.

"What say you, my Lord?" Masaru asked of the silver haired, golden eyed silent male at the end of the table, "What news have you from your father?"

From his place next to Katashi, Sesshomaru turned cold amber eyes to Masaru. With Sounga still in Agyptia with the soldiers, Sesshomaru had taken over the responsibilities of the clan as was the duty of the eldest son. His father had been in contact with him over the past six months and Sesshomaru was well aware of the dire situation in Agyptia.

He knew that things were not going well. The Agyptia styles of fighting were ones that they had not come across before.

Their tricks and magic's were unfamiliar and potent, almost impossible to counter. And with supplies dwindling, more and more of their soldiers were starving, and a starving soldier was easy picking for the Agyptian warriors. Even so, his father had been completely clear about what he wanted. He was convinced that if he could figure out who had killed the Prince and why, that maybe he could put a peaceful end to this senseless war.

"Father has sent many letters of the situation in Agyptia," Sesshomaru began, "He has informed me that he is investigating the death of Prince Hondo in hopes of ending the war,"

"Nonsense,"

Sesshomaru turned to the male that had spoken, eyes narrowed in displeasure. Matosi, filling in for Jikininki of the Kuro clan, stared back at him, his cool brown eyes calculating. His lips were pulled down in their customary frown, his long blond hair pulled back into to a low ponytail, and the clothing that graced his body was expensive and completely black.

He was Jikininki's cousin, and, as far as Sesshomaru was concerned, just as underhanded and devious as Jikininki and the rest of their clan was.

"My cousin informed me that the Pharaoh cannot be reasoned with, he is too overcome by his own grief to pull back his army and end this war," Matosi said, "The best course of action that we can take is to finish this war quickly and with any means of force necessary to make sure we emerge victorious,"

"That is what I was told as well," said Masaru, "Pharaoh Bomani cannot be reasoned with, and we were not fully prepared for this war. From the beginning, the Agyptian people gave no indication of hostility, so there was really no need to prepare to heavily. We are paying for that oversight now. This cannot go on,"

Grunts of agreement echoed through the room. Sesshomaru remained quiet, his mind already switching gears.

"Father has requested time to complete his investigation before any extreme action is taken," Sesshomaru stated once the room quieted again.

"How much time?" Daisuke asked.

"Six months,"

"Six months?" Katashi repeated, "We cannot wait six bloody months! Those primitive beasts need to be stopped now!"

"Calm down, Katashi," Hachiro said calmly, turning cool eyes to Sesshomaru, "What information has your father been able to uncover so far?"

Now was the opening he had been looking for. The news he brought from his father would no doubt secure the time needed to uncover the truth in Agyptia and possibly take down the Kuro clan once and for all. He would have to be delicate when broaching his father's suspicions. Though his father knew that Jikininki was somehow involved in the start of the war, without solid proof, they could not publically make accusations.

"There is a strong possibility that this war was started on purpose by someone from Japan,"

Silence met that statement. The males at the table stared at him in silent shock, all except Matosi, whose brown eyes gleamed with something that was definitely not surprise.

"For what purpose?" Haru asked quietly, speaking up for the first time.

"That is what my father is investigating now," Sesshomaru said, "There are some discrepancies in the way this war started that he wishes to take a deeper look into. Not only that, but there are other factors that need to be scrutinized. Recently, my father was able to gain some inside information regarding the Pharaoh and his continuous grief,"

"We know of his grief over his younger brother's death," said Masaru.

"Aye, but what of his grief over his missing wife and daughter?" Sesshomaru asked.

"His wife and child? The Queen and Princess are missing?" Hachiro asked, mild surprise in his cool gaze.

"From what father has been able to learn, the Queen had been placed in the royal dungeon for questioning the Pharaoh and attempting to kidnap their daughter days before the war began. She escaped on the day of the war and has not been seen since. Princess Kamilah also went missing that same day, her nurse Bahiti and the Queen's personal maid Khepri were found slaughtered near an abandoned part of the city near the Palace,"

"But how does that information implicate a Japanese male being responsible for the war?" Haru asked, keenly interested.

"A week after their disappearances, one of the soldiers swore that he saw Agyptian males speaking with Japanese males in robes on the shores of Agyptia, a small boat in the water behind them. One of the robed males was a Japanese soldier for certain. The soldier recognized him from another squad. The men conversed for no more than ten minutes before one of the Agyptian males removed the blanket from a bundle he held,"

Matosi's brown eyes gleamed dangerously as he spoke. Sesshomaru met his eyes with a gaze just as intense.

"It was a child. The soldier could not make out the features of the child or tell whether it was male or female, but he was able to see one distinct detail; the child's skin was the tanned shade of an Agyptian,"

Another round of deafening silence filled the room.

"My father suspects that child may have been Princess Kamilah. Once the conversation between the males ended, the Agyptians boarded the boat, the child with them, and sailed away. The soldier did not get the chance to follow the Japanese individuals and instead sought out my father to inform him of what he had observed," Sesshomaru finished.

"Good God!" Katashi exclaimed, "If what you say is true, we may have traitors in our midst!"

"Aye," Daisuke said, "It would seem we may very well have traitors. I know Lord Sounga; he would not pass along information that was not reliable. We can only assume that what the soldier told him was the truth; Lord Sounga can detect a lie better than most,"

"At the very least this certainly needs time and effort to be thoroughly investigated;" Masaru said excitedly, "Traitors are not to be tolerated! They are to be hanged, their bodies swinging from the gallows!"

Katashi murmured his agreement.

"With this new information, the only reasonable course of action would be to allow Lord Sounga time to investigate the disappearances of the Queen and Princess and the murder of the Prince," Hachiro stated, "If Lord Sounga can end this war peacefully by bringing forth the criminals responsible for everything to Pharaoh Bomani,"

"Maybe if we found the traitors, we may also be able to question them and figure out if they had been behind the slaughter of the soldiers that went out to exercise the morning of the war," Haru said quietly, "Its been reported that the Prince may have been killed in retaliation for the murder of the soldiers, but with this new information, the traitors may have killed the soldiers and blamed the Agyptians,"

"Aye," Sesshomaru agreed, "father intends to question them quite thoroughly,"

"Six months will be ample enough time," Daisuke said, "We can hold out until then. Afterwards, we will have to see. If we can end this war peacefully, we will do so. If not, we will have to seriously consider using other alternatives to subdue the Agyptian people,"

"Other alternatives?" Masaru inquired.

"Aye, Lord Matosi and his clan have been able to develop a new weapon that could possibly strip the Agyptian people of their special abilities and tricks. With that weapon, we will easily be able to take over Agyptia,"

Sesshomaru turned to Matosi, curious as to what weapon he and his filthy clan had developed. Matosi stared boldly back at him, his gaze challenging. Sesshomaru reminded himself that it would not be appropriate to reach across the long mahogany table, snatch up the insolent beast and skin him alive. It was not something that one in his station did on a whim.

Unfortunately.

"Lord Matosi, if you'd please," Daisuke said as the males at the table turned to him.

Matosi turned his attention from Sesshomaru in favor of meeting Daisuke's eyes.

"My cousin was able to get his hands on the material used in the creation of the prisons in Agyptia," Matosi began, "The bars, the floors, the ceiling, even the walls of each prison has bits of stone embedded inside. Those stones have some sort of…crippling effect on the Agyptian people. It strips them of their abilities and lowers their strength and energy to that of a normal human,"

"And your cousin has acquired pieces of those stones?" Masaru asked.

"Nay, not pieces, he has located the cave that contains the stones. One of the soldiers stumbled across the area and was curious about the stones. The mdjai guarding the cave was tortured until he told the truth about the cave. Of course my cousin tested the stones to make sure that they indeed did what he was told they would do. They worked,"

"Having such an advantage could guarantee a victory," Haru said.

"Aye, that is why my cousin had the stone harvested from the caves and shipped in boat loads to a safe place in the midst of our clan's territory,"

"What sort of weapon have you created from the stones?" asked Katashi.

"We have found that we need only to embed a piece of the stone into weapons already created. Getting close to the Agyptians with just a little bit of the stone weakens them. We are prepared to divide the stones evenly among the clans to put into your own soldier's weapon," Matosi explained, "We have even begun to create chains, necklaces and accessories with the stone embedded,"

"Chains, necklaces and accessories? For what purpose?" Sesshomaru questioned.

Matosi looked over at Sesshomaru, dark amusement in his intense gaze. He was up to something; there was no doubt about that.

"The Kuro clan has made the proposal that capturing and using the Agyptian people as servants would greatly benefit Japan," Daisuke answered, "We would be able to learn their secrets, master their abilities and use what we learn to out advantage,"

Sesshomaru raised a silver brow. Servants indeed. He had never condoned pussy footing around. If a person had something to say, they need say it. Sesshomaru knew what Daisuke was saying, even though he worded it in a way that would put it in a better light than it actually was. Sesshomaru, being Sesshomaru, felt duty bound to call him on his bullshit.

"You play with words," Sesshomaru said, "Speak what you really mean and do not coat it with sugar. You wish to enslave the Agyptian people,"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, Daisuke looking a bit flustered. His father had told him on more than one occasion that he was often too blunt in situations that called for delicacy. Sesshomaru didn't see the need for something as useless as delicacy, especially in a situation like this. But his father obviously disagreed with him, stating that Sesshomaru wouldn't understand what situation called for delicacy until he reached his thirtieth birthday at least.

At the age of twenty-five, his father still considered him a young pup barely birthed from his mother's womb.

Sesshomaru scuffed.

He was no pup, he had more wisdom than the average human acquired at that age. His little brother, InuYasha was the pup. He had only just turned eight this year.

"That is exactly what we wish to do," Matosi said, breaking the silence.

"This is something you all wish to do?" Sesshomaru asked.

The males around the room nodded.

"We have thought it over long and hard. The Agyptian people are strong, durable people, and their pride is great, even in their women," Katashi began, "We have no doubt in our minds that once this war is over, the Agyptian people will likely harbor ill will against us. Ill will that could likely start a whole new war if they decided to satisfy their pride with our destruction,"

"The best way to keep them from rekindling a war is to either kill them all or enslave them," Masaru said, "Enslavement seemed the lesser of two necessary evils,"

Sesshomaru didn't care one way or another. Lord knew that servants here in Japan were more like slaves than servants anyways. Slavery exited in Japan whether anyone admitted to it or not.

Sesshomaru nodded.

"I shall write to father of the events that have occurred here in this meeting and keep you all abreast of the information sent to me from him,"

Heads nodded and the males began to stand.

"We will meet once again next week," Daisuke said, "Same time and place,"

With nods of agreements, the room cleared out quickly. As Sesshomaru left the room, he caught the gaze of Matosi. For an instant, tension twisted between the two, each male unwilling to look away, unwilling to back down from the blatant challenge in the other male's eyes. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to clench his fists as Matosi smiled at him in a clearly mocking manner. Instead, he walked calmly up to the older male, his own eyes gleaming and spoke in a low chilling whisper.

"You may have fooled the other clan leaders but you have not fooled me or my father. Whatever you and your cousin are planning will fail. The Shiro clan will make certain of it,"

Matosi's smile turned savage and his eyes shimmered with naked malice. He leaned forward.

"You are naught but a foolish pup," he whispered, "And I cannot wait for the day that the Shiro clan lies in ruins at the feet of Kuro clan,"

"Your delusions astound me," Sesshomaru said, true amusement curving his lips, "The Kuro clan will forever remain beneath the boot of the Shiro clan and well you know it,"

Before the other male could respond, Sesshomaru turned and walked away, but not before glimpsing the fury that burned in his eyes. As he walked down the hall he could feel the heated, hateful glare Matosi threw at his back. He could care less. He had secures the extra time his father needed to investigate.

Matosi was of no consequence t o him.

At least not at the moment.

OoOoOoOoO

_**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I know some of you are wonder, when are we going to get to the Sesshomaru/Kagome romance. I'll tell you this, I am not one to rush a story or plot and I will not start doing so now. Be patient and enjoy that story, its not a story that I am going to rush, the worst kind of story is one where two people rush into a romance, the plot speeds along with no real quality and ends in a paltry 15 chapters or less. **_

_**If you like those kinds of stories, I urge you to look elsewhere for them. But if your standards are a little bit higher, feel free to continue to read. No offense to anyone, but I'm just letting you all know how I write.**_

_**Anyways, here is Sessy for the first time! I know you all were waiting for his sexy ass, well, here he is! XD. **_

_**And now, on to the beautiful people that left me motivation and appreciation in the form of reviews:**_

Darkness living in Hope- _**Glad you enjoyed that last chapter. I'm glad I was able to achieve my goal which is to make every chapter as intense as possible. Intensity is my forte. **_

_**Okay, so this review was written by someone that didn't leave any name or anything, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that your review was appreciated! This is the review: "**_oooh my goodness. This story is amazing and I look forwards to reading the rest. Very full, wonderful prelude to the sess/kag romance. Was so amazing that I didn't care I had to go through 7 chapters to get to the story. No outlandish grammar mistakes, which my eyes appreciate._**"**_

_**I am glad that you are enjoying the story so far. We are getting around to the Sesshomaru/Kagome romance madness, don't you worry XD. The seven chapters were the story. Trust me, when this story really gets on the ball, you may have to refer back to those chapters to make sense of some things.**_

blooboboboobobob- _**Well I am happy to hear your excitement over the story! You'll find out who the masked male is and what he has to do with this whole thing. I'm not sure if you'll believe it though, lol, it's going to be really out there. At least I hope, I'm still tinkering around with the plot.**_

CrystallineEmeraldTears- _**Sorry for the frustration, lol, but hey, it give the story mystery and it's kind of like bait. You're hooked now. But I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter.**_

CC Rose- _**Sorry to leave ya hanging XD. I'm glad you like the story and I am also ecstatic that I've hooked yet another unsuspecting reader on my story, lol. **_

_**Please review!**_

_**Laters!**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	9. A Child is Reborn

_**Chapter Nine:**_

_**A Child is Reborn**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.**_

Outside, behind the spiraling castle, the ceremony commenced. The continuous beating of the drums filled the air. Smoke from the hundreds of lit torches and spicy smelling incents cast a haze over the open area. The sky was dark, bright stars shimmering, the moon full and pale overhead.

The followers of Apep stood silently, their attention on the platform. The platform contained a stone slab, that stood about waist height to the average male and a large, wide bowl of red liquid sat atop the slab. Candles on long golden candle stands stood at the four corners of the stone slab and a towering statue of Apep sat behind the slab, looming over the entire platform.

The head of a snake and the body of a man, the statue was a fearsome sight to behold, its eyes, made of sapphires gleaming.

A lone male stood on the stone platform, the Book of the Dead open in his hands.

Haliando was nearly oblivious to everything around him.

His entire focus was on the Book. A shiver stole up his spine as his fingers moved over the pages of the Book. Closing his eyes a moment, he relished the pleasure of power radiating from the pages, sending shockwaves up his arms and into his body. He could not remember ever feeling such ecstasy before. The pleasure coursed through him, pulsating through each and every nerve ending.

Touching the Book was like touching heaven, he never wanted to let go.

This Book was pleasure, this Book was everything anyone could ever want or hope for. It was ultimate knowledge, astounding truth, all knowing and all consuming.

The sound of shuffling and footsteps reached his ears.

Reluctantly, he looked up as the followers dropped to their knees, heads bowed, one arm placed over their hearts in a symbol of obedience and unbending loyalty.

Yafeu strode up to the platform, dressed in dark robes, his golden mask gleaming.

Kagome sat tucked into the crook of his arms, her hands reaching for his mask and hair, baby talk bubbling from her little rosebud mouth as he ascended the platform steps.

Turning to face the cloaked followers, he waited for them to stand.

"The time has come, my fellow followers," Yafeu began, "The time for Apep to once more grace the earth with his presence,"

A short cheer rang throughout the crowd before quieting once more.

Holding Kagome under the arms, Yafeu held her high above his head, displaying her to the crowd.

"This is our future. This is the face of Apep,"

The crowed thumped their chests with their fists.

"Tonight, this child and Apep becomes one in the same," he said pacing the length of the platform edge, "tonight, this child becomes our salvation, our one true connection to the one true God,"

Kagome blinked at the crowd, pale blue eyes reflecting confusion. Pulling her back, Yafeu placed her onto the cold stone slab behind him, one bronze hand placed on her little chest to keep her in place.

"Haliando, begin," the masked Agyptian commanded.

Turning eagerly to the Book, Haliando began the ceremony, his voice ringing clear throughout the clearing.

"Apep, one true God, we humble ourselves before you. We bow to your greatness, to your unquestionable will. We pledge our hearts, our bodies, and our souls to you. We sacrifice ourselves in your name,"

From the crowd of cloaked individuals, a small group of twenty came forward, heads bowed, whispering prayers and praise to Apep.

The followers walked up the steps of the platform and stood in a circle around the stone slab.

As one, they kneeled. The drums rang loud and fast in the ears of all present.

Restless from being held in place, Kagome began to fuss, her little lip trembling, tears welling in her eyes. Yafeu noticed none of this. His eyes were on the gleaming statue before him, his mind arrested by the brightness of the sapphire jewels, the slight movement of the snake's head, by the power coursing through the constructed image of Apep.

"Before you stand sacrifices; loyal servants that wish nothing more than to die in service to you,"

The sound of swords scrapping against scabbards rang loud and ominous in the momentary silence. Kagome's wails filled the air.

"These loyal servants take their lives with their own in the name of your glory. They kill themselves in the hopes of releasing you onto this world,"

Lifting the short swords above their heads, the cloaked followers plunged the blades deep into their own hearts, never once making a sound.

Yafeu inhaled the sweet smell of blood, his grip on the wailing child tightening in anticipation.

"Awaken…awaken….awaken….God of darkness…"

The statue's neck coiled, a tongue hissing from its mouth. Fierce prayers and praise rang out in as the statue moved; its heavy legs taking one step at a time, drawing closer to the slab.

One by one, the followers kneeling around the slab slumped over; lifeless.

From their bodies rose a white misty light that hovered above the fallen individuals. Slowly, the statue opened its mouth, sucking the misty light into the dark depths of its being.

The drums picked up tempo as the statue moved closer in small steps.

"We bring you a vessel, a temple to house your great spirit. The blood of the Olufemi clan runs through her veins,"

The sapphire eyes blazed, the statue's tongue flickering once more as its neck stretched, moving slowly towards the flailing child held down by Yafeu.

"Possess her, use her as a safe haven to regain your strength until you can be released completely upon this pathetic earth," Haliando said, eyes intense, hands clutched around the Book.

"He is weak still," Yafeu commented, grin in place behind his mask, "We need more blood, more sacrifices,"

The cloaked followers did not hesitate. Tripping over themselves and pushing one another in an effort to reach the platform, more followers rushed up the platform steps, blades drawn. Blood ran in rivulets on the platform as more and more followers took their own lives, prayers to Apep on their lips.

Mouth open, the statue absorbed the misty lights that rose from the dead corpses, its movements no longer slow.

With lightening speed, the snake detached itself from its human body and lunged forward. Yafeu stepped back as the snake wound its body around the weeping child. Hissing, the snake squeezed the young child tight, its mouth opening wide.

From its open mouth, black mist slithered from deep within, drifting towards Kagome's face. Abruptly, the child's wailing ceased replaced by a loud, pitiful choking sound as the thick dark mist entered her mouth. The drumming increased in tempo and loud chanting filled the air. The followers dropped to their knees, raising their arms up high above their heads before bowing low, their noses touching the ground.

Over and over they bowed, praising the name Apep.

A stream of light pierced the darkness of the night, shinning brightly on the snake and child. The grin slid from Yafeu's face as the stream of dark mist coming from the snake's mouth waned before stopping all together. The snake roared loudly, sapphire eye ablaze, glaring up at the light.

"It is Ra!" Haliando cried, "He is trying to disrupt the ceremony!"

Anger pounded through his veins. He had not come this far to let some weak, cowardly sun God stand in his way. Snarling loudly, Yafeu turned to the bowing followers, blue eyes blazing behind the mask.

"More sacrifices!" he thundered, "More blood!"

There was no hesitation as more people flooded the platform, their blades finding their rapidly beating hearts. Warm sticky blood pooled around Yafeu's bare feet as the snake absorbed the misty light rising from the cooling bodies.

Pulling his own blade, Yafeu began to stab and slash at the followers in an effort to speed up the killing process.

The light above flickered, struggling to remain lit before it was snuffed out completely.

The snake turned its attention back to the silent child who stared back with wide eyes, too stunned to move or utter a sound, her mouth still wide open. The snake opened its mouth once more, pouring black mist into the little girl.

As the mist began to thicken, the snake began to crack, chunks of its self falling to the ground.

"Give all that you are to the child," Haliando continued, "Possess this child in every way, and mold her into your unholy image,"

The light behind the sapphires grew brighter, more intense as more cracks appeared and the snake continued to fall apart. Fangs erupted from the mouth of the snake, dripping with green liquid that sizzled when the droplets dripped onto the slab, burning the stone clean through.

The black mist dissipated, retreating completely into the little girl.

Yafeu felt the air freeze in his lungs as the snake's neck coiled before striking, its fangs sinking deep into the neck and shoulder of the little girl.

The drums stop, the prayers ended and all held their breath.

In the quiet, a crumbling noise was heard. The snake cracked completely down the center of its body, falling to pieces on the slab, leaving behind its fangs still buried deep in the child's neck. The baby fell back, her little chest laboring to breathe.

Yafeu approached the child, placing two fingers to the side of her neck, right below her chubby little chin.

Her pulse beat slow and sluggish, barely there at all.

He held his fingers there as the pulse began to decrease rapidly before stopping completely. He stared down into the glazed over pale blue eyes still staring sightlessly up at the sky.

"Let her be reborn in your image," Haliando read aloud, "Let her be reborn filled with the darkness of your essence,"

The fangs still in the little girl's began to sink down into her body, disappearing into her body, leaving behind two purple puncture wounds.

Beneath Yafeu's fingers, a pulse began to throb and a light appeared in the blue eyes; a light that was in no way normal. He felt the power in those eyes, and much to his surprise, a shiver of apprehension slid up his spine.

Her little chest began to rise and fall, her eyes shifting around and blinking, taking in everything with an intense scrutiny. Yafeu reached down and touched her cheek, relishing the energized charge that radiated from her little body, a big grin splitting his face. Pale, stormy blue eyes peered into his own, intellect shining through.

It was done.

Reaching out, Yafeu scooped the silent child into his arms, the power radiating from her almost too much to bear. It thrummed through him, twisting his insides into knots. It was glorious; it was the sweetest of torments.

"Bring the burning symbol," he commanded distractedly.

From the crowd of followers an individual broke free and made his way up to the stone platform. In his hand, he held a long iron with a symbol on the bottom. The symbol was the shape of a snake coiled around a sphere. The snake represented Apep, the sphere represented earth.

Blazing red, the symbol radiated visible heat.

The metal was made of a special type of material. It would remain hot for hours, serving their purposes completely.

As the cloaked figure neared, Yafeu walked over the large bowl of crimson liquid on the slab, pulling a dagger from his black cloak as he moved. Kagome neither cried nor squirmed as his blade slid across her little palm. Instead, her blue eyes focused on the droplets of blood that dripped into the bowl. The water began to simmer before boiling as though a raging fire was lit beneath it.

The wound in Kagome's hand closed, sealing as though it had never been there to begin with.

The cloaked individual with the iron stood next to the bowl, awaiting further instructions.

"Line up, my fellow servants of Apep!" Haliando called out, "Line up and become servaliyanns to our mother, our Queen!"

The first follower came eagerly forward, kneeling down before Yafeu.

Yafeu motioned for the individual to remove their cloak. As the man revealed his face, the cloaked male with the iron moved behind him, dipping the symbol into the boiling crimson liquid.

"Do you swear your loyalty to Apep?" Yafeu asked as the drums began to beat once more, "Do you swear upon your very soul to protect our Queen?"

"Yes, Master Yafeu,"

"Then become one with your Queen, become a servaliyann to your mother,"

"Yes, Master,"

Yafeu nodded to the cloaked male holding the blazing symbol. The male pulled the symbol from the bowl.

"Bow your head,"

As the male bowed his head, the sizzling symbol was applied to the back of his neck. The scent of burning flesh filled the air. The bowed man did not utter a sound.

"Remove him from the platform," Haliando suggested, eyes fastened to the Book, "In a few moments, his body will be thrown into convulsions and he may likely die if his body rejects the blood shared with him. He will get in the way of the others receiving their marks,"

Yafeu motioned to the male holding the iron.

The iron was removed and the man stood shakily, stumbling from the platform. Yafeu barely spared him a second glance as yet another follower ascended the stone steps of the platform, already removing the cloak to reveal her face. Every one of the cloaked individuals fell into line without a second thought and one by one the kneeled before Yafeu and the child in his arms.

OoOoOoOoO

_**June 15**__**th**__**, 2998 B.C**_

'_The war here is quickly raging out of control. We are losing soldiers faster than we can send them over. The Pharaoh has declared any Japanese person, human or Youkai, a blood enemy of the Agyptian people forever. All and every Agyptian fights us now, even their women and children. The Princess and the Queen are still missing and that fact has compounded to the hatred the Agyptian people feel towards us._

_The Pharaoh has blamed us for the disappearance of his wife and child as well as the death of his younger brother._

_There is no reasoning with the Pharaoh now. _

_He will speak to no one of peace between our two countries. He wishes only for all "foreigners" to be extinguished, not just from his country, but from this very earth. From what I have been able to learn, he wishes to invade Japan in the near future._

_I am no closer to discovering the truth than I was six months ago. The only thing I am certain of is that Lord Jikininki is in some way involved in this._

_A spy placed to watch him has reported seeing him with an unidentified Agyptian male._

_The two conversed no more than a few seconds but I am suspicious of what was said between the two. My spy was not able to get close enough to hear them. This is not enough evidence to accuse him of anything however, which frustrates me to no end._

_I realize that I have run out of time to investigate and I have to say that asking for more time would not be in our best interest._

_With so many of our soldiers dying so quickly, we cannot afford to continue this war._

_It must stop._

_Inform the other clan leaders that I am fully behind the motion to introduce the stones into the war to suppress the Agyptian people._

_This is the official report of Lord Sounga of the Shiro Clan.'_

The letter had arrived yesterday while another clan meeting had been in progress. The clan leaders had all voted to send the stones without waiting for the letter from Sounga. The six months were up and none of the other leaders were willing to continue waiting.

Sesshomaru set the letter aside on his desk and reached for a clean scroll. Dipping his writing utensil in the vial of ink, he began to write;

'_The stones have already been shipped out. They should arrive no later than the thirtieth of June if the weather holds. More soldiers are being sent with the stones, they will teach their fellow soldiers how to use the weapons that have the stones imbedded inside of them._

_The votes from the clan leaders are unanimous. _

_Use the stones to subdue the people, while subdued, kill those that could possibly pose a threat to Japan, then bring the remaining here to Japan to be used as slaves. The Agyptian land is to be stripped of valuables, harvested completely hollow; nothing is to remain in tact. _

_The Pharaoh is to be taken alive if possible to face imprisonment. With the Pharaoh in custody, we will be able to keep the Agyptian people somewhat in line._

_I will launch my own private investigation into the Kuro Clan activities, though it may take time before any results are received. For now, all is well in the Shiro Clan; there are no problems or concerns to report at this time._

_This is the official report of Lord Sesshomaru of the Shiro Clan.'_

Sesshomaru grabbed the pouch of sand from the corner of the desk and poured it onto the wet ink. Picking up the scroll, he poured the sand back into the pouch and sat it aside to dry. Standing, he left the desk and headed out of his father's study. The scroll would be picked up and delivered to Agyptia by a servant when the servants entered the room for its daily cleaning.

The day was ending, the sun was going down and supper was to be served in a few minutes.

As he walked, servants bowed out of his way, stopping their cleaning tasks in order to bow. He barely noticed them.

His mind was on the Kuro Clan.

He had more than enough of their nefarious activities. They were thieves, cut throats and completely untrustworthy. He had no doubt in his mind that their clan leader Jikininki was behind this war, but without solid proof his father was hesitant to accuse the male out right and Sesshomaru could not make the accusation himself without the support of his father at his back.

The fact irritated him to no end.

The Kuro Clan were a group of sneaky undesirables that got away with their dark deeds time and time again, dark deeds that had taken the lives of some of the people of his clan as well as other clans.

How his father could let them continue on was beyond him.

If he were clan leader, he would have wiped out the clan long ago, no questions asked. But father was more civil than that and was trying to raise him to be a civil being.

Sesshomaru had no wish to be completely civil.

Being civil meant you had to turn a blind eye to bullshit.

Entering his bedroom, he head straight for his bathing quarters. Stripping down, he walked over to the bench and large basin of water. Taking a seat on the bench, he picked up the liquid soap and bathing cloth next to the water and began to scrub clean, washing his hair afterwards.

Once clean and washed of soap suds, he walked over to the large spring a few feet away.

As he sank down into the warm water, his closed in relaxation. It felt good to be able to relax. Now he knew the stress his father endured on a daily basis. He had to admit, before taking over in his father's absence, he had thought that being leader was all fun and games.

Never had he considered the hard work it took to keep the clan running smoothly.

Tenant disputes had to be resolved, the accounts had to be looked over, and every cent accounted for. Not only that, there were negotiations between trading and bartering between clans, marriage approvals between the clans and inside of the clan, meetings with clan leaders and so much more than Sesshomaru had thought he would be responsible for.

Of course he had been groomed by his father to take over the clan all his life, working along side him fir hours at a time but he had never known how much of the actual work his father had shielded him from.

Light shuffling to his left interrupted his thoughts. Inhaling slightly, he instantly identified the person causing the noise. His eyes remained closed.

When his skin began to prune, he rose from the water, dried off and dressed in a white kimono and hakama and tied a black obi about his waist. Pulling back his wet hair, he held it together with a leather thong. Once more, a shuffling noise from beneath his futon drew his attention.

Walking over to the futon, he sat down on the feather stuffed bed and grabbing his boots as he moved.

Small hands grabbed his ankles before he could pull on one boot.

"Have I not told you that you are not to enter my private bedchambers without permission?" Sesshomaru asked quietly.

"I had permission," came the reply.

"I do not recall stating that you could enter my domain today,"

Shuffling from beneath the bed ensued before a little silver head and soft puppy dog ears appeared from beneath the slightly raised futon. Sesshomaru pulled on his boots as the little boy squirmed from underneath the bed. Dressed in a red kimono and hakama, Inuyasha looked up at him with shinning amber eyes.

"Mom said to come and tell you it was time for supper,"

"That is still not adequate permission for you to enter my bedroom," Sesshomaru said.

Inuyasha grinned, knowing full well that his big brother had told him that time and time again. He couldn't help it, he loved his big brother; he had to be the coolest male on the planet. Well, not as cool as their father, but still pretty cool.

Inuyasha enjoyed trying to sneak up on his brother, though he knew he couldn't, he liked to try. It was a game they sort of played, though he knew Sesshomaru would die before admitting such a thing.

Besides, with their father gone, Sesshomaru was really the only person he could play with until father came home from the war. Mother had said father would be back soon. After hearing that for nearly a year and a half, Inuyasha was not so sure.

Reaching up, Inuyasha folded his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, you're real grumpy all the time," Inuyasha said, "Father never gets grumpy when I play with him,"

"I am not father," Sesshomaru informed him as he stood.

He snorted as he followed his older brother out of his bedroom. Inuyasha knew his big brother wasn't mad that he had invaded his rooms without permission. If he hated it so much, he knew his brother would have said so, or at the very least have taken steps to bar his little brother from his room. He never did any of that.

"Of course you're not, father is much more fun,"

Sesshomaru did not respond to that. Inuyasha hadn't expected him to.

As they neared the dinning area, one of the servants slid back the shoji screen. Izaoi was already seated at the low informal dinning table, sipping her tea quietly on the right side of the table. Walking over to the table, Sesshomaru sat down at the head while Inuyasha sat across from his mother.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha took the small cloths floating in bowls of hot water and wiped their hands as the servants set bowls of rice, onigiri, yakizakana, and sushi onto the table in front of them.

"Have you news from your father, Sesshomaru?" Izaoi asked.

Thirteen years ago, Sesshomaru would have ignored the woman and her question. After the death of his mother, his father had met the human Izaoi and quickly fallen in love. A year later, the two had mated and years later, when he was but seventeen, his little brother Inuyasha had been born.

For the first year, Sesshomaru had greatly resented Izaoi, not only for trying to take his mother's place in his father, but for being a weak human.

The resentment and discontent had not been wasted on Sounga. Sensing the hostility and distance coming from his son, Sounga had taken Sesshomaru out hunting and the two had had a heart to heart talk. Sounga had made it clear that he would always love Kasumi, that Izaoi was not trying to nor could she ever replace his mother.

Though he had not said much during the talk, Sesshomaru had taken his father's words to heart and slowly, but surely, that anger towards Izaoi had vanished, replaced with contentment.

He found he could not continue to hate her as he grew older; she was too kind, too soft spoken. Whenever he tried he felt like a foolish pup. He had felt even more of a fool when Izaoi made attempts to speak and interact with him. At times she would ask about his mother, wondering what she had been like when she lived.

Sesshomaru had been surprised by how easy it was to speak to her about his deceased mother with her of all people.

Over the past thirteen years, he had come to hold her in a small degree of affection.

"Father has not been able to discover the cause behind the war. I have written him a letter explaining that the stones have already been shipped," Sesshomaru stated.

His intent amber eyes moved towards his little brother who had not picked up his chopsticks but was digging into his food with his hands, making a mess. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as the eight year old grinned up at him, mouth full of rice.

Inuyasha knew well that table manners was something his older brother held in high esteem.

Anything other than impeccable table manners irritated the elder male.

"I see," Izaoi said as she reached over and handed Inuyasha his chopsticks, "And the people?"

"They are to be taken as slaves and put to work here in Japan; their land is to be completely stripped of all valuables,"

Normally, Sesshomaru would not discuss the war with a woman, but Izaoi was different. His father trusted Izaoi with the details of the Shiro Clan activities. For that reason, Sesshomaru saw no reason not to speak of it to her. His father would anyways.

"Can Japan not make peace with them?" Izaoi asked, her brown eyes concerned, "Enslavement seems a bit cruel, considering most of the slaves will be innocent men, women and children,"

Had he been the type, Sesshomaru would have shrugged. He didn't really care what happened to them. From the way she was looking at him with that intense, know all look, he could tell she knew exactly how he felt on the issue.

"The Clan leaders have decided as of yesterday," Sesshomaru stated, "There is nothing that I or anyone else can do,"

Izaoi sipped her tea silently at that bit of news, knowing there was nothing more to say. When the clan leaders spoke, that was it. None could overturn their decree. Still, Izaoi could not help but feel badly or the Agyptian people.

When her mate had left for Agyptia she had been excited and had read his every letter about the proceeding negotiations; had even looked forward to visiting the land.

She would have loved to have met the Pharaoh and the Queen and their daughter had sounded like she was absolutely delightful. And then suddenly things had turned sour and her mate had found himself in the middle of a full blow war.

From what Sounga had written, the Agyptian people were formidable opponents.

She agreed that the Agyptian people needed to be suppressed but slavery seemed a bit harsh, even unnecessarily cruel. But Izaoi knew that this was the way of war. One side had to lose and though she was loathed to admit it, she didn't want to be on the losing side of this war.

"When is father coming back home?" Inuyasha asked, his mouth full of food.

"Do not talk with food in your mouth, Inuyasha," Izaoi said softly.

"When the war is over," Sesshomaru said, bringing more rice to his mouth.

His lips turned down in slight distaste. The rice was cooked well, lightly salted, but he preferred to eat raw meat with his rice, but with Izaoi and Inuyasha at the table, that was not possible. Had he been able to stomach smelling their vomit, he would have order raw meat soaked in blood brought to him despite their disgust.

The first time he had eaten bloody meat in front of the two, his little brother had immediately lost his lunch all over the floor, and though Izaoi had kept her food down, her face had turned a shade of green.

"When is that?" Inuyasha asked, his mouth empty of food.

"If such a thing was known to me, you would have know as well,"

Inuyasha frowned at his older brother.

"All you had to say was that you didn't know," Inuyasha said crossing his arms, "Why can't everyone just say they don't know,"

"If you continue to ask when father will return, knowing the answer will likely be "I do not know" why then do you continue to ask the same question?"

Inuyasha flushed.

"You're a real asshole," he said spitefully.

"Inuyasha!" Izaoi exclaimed, "Such language! You know better than that,"

His flush deepened, turning a deep crimson, puppy dog ears lay flat against his head.

"Sorry mother," Inuyasha mumbled.

"I have no idea where you heard such a word, but you are never to repeat it again, is that understood?"

"Yes mother,"

Inuyasha wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He _**hated**_ it when his mother chastised him in front of his big brother.

It was embarrassing!

He struggled to retract the blush from his cheeks.

The supper commenced with little trouble, and once the table had been cleared, Sesshomaru left the table, headed to his bedroom. As he walked down the hall to his bedchamber a scent drifted past his nose.

Instantly his blood heated.

Opening the door of his bedroom, his eyes instantly locked onto the dark haired, dark eyed beauty sitting naked in his bed.

Akasuki; his current mistress.

She was the daughter of some insignificant Clan Lord and suited his purposes for now.

Closing the door behind him, he walked over to his bed, shedding his clothing as he moved.

OoOoOoOoO

**_Shareefah- Thank you for your encouragement! I plan on taking my time._**

**_Darkness living in Hope- I'm glad you love it! Thank you for your beautiful review._**

**_blooboboboobobob- Sorry about the spastic updates. Got so much going on! Thanks for understanding about not rushing the chapters; I really, really hate a rushed story. It seems like a waste of time to even write in the first place. You'll find out about the Queen's body later on though. And yes the Prince has died, but you won't find out about the masked Agyptian for a while._**

**_Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!_**

**_Laters_**

**_~Sessakag_**


	10. The War Continues

_**Chapter Ten:**_

_**The War Continues**_

_**Before you continue, I have to let you know something very important. This story is not going to be set in our reality, as in this story does not follow the timeline of the real world. I know some readers that are more informed about Japanese culture or about history in general like to point out little mistakes here and there when reading, that won't be necessary at all. This world will be completely made up. This Japan and other countries portrayed in this story will be far different than what you read in history books, though some parts may actually be the same, so please keep that in mind.**_

_**Now, on with the story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**_

_**February 10**__**th**__**, 900 A.D.**_

Kagome dipped her bare feet into the rushing river water, looking down at her reflection in the rippling clear water. Light blue eyes stared back at her, shimmering with a knowledge she knew was not her own. Each time she looked into her own eyes she got chills.

The little girl in the rippling water looked like a normal child.

She wore a long sleeved starch white linen dress, her long, dark, thigh length hair held together with a black thong and laid against her right shoulder. Her feet were completely bare, having ditched her shoes hours ago.

Not an abnormal appearance for a normal seven year old child, if it were not for those eyes.

After all these years, Kagome would have thought that eventually her own reflection would not make her so very uncomfortable.

Sadly, that was not the case.

Kicking her tiny feet, Kagome disrupted the image.

Heaving a small sigh, her eyes drifted up to the fluffy white clouds drifting across the bright blue sky. Shapes of puffy animals brought a smile to her face. She so enjoyed the peace and quiet, it was a welcomed change from her boring and sometimes lonely life.

It was irritating that she often had to make her own fun.

No one really played with her, at least not the way she wanted. They were too protective so she couldn't really enjoy any type of games.

Everything was too dangerous to do.

Running was too dangerous; swimming was too dangerous, even climbing trees was dangerous. It made no sense to her at all. She never really got hurt, and if she did get a scrape here or there it was completely healed within a few seconds. Kagome just didn't understand why they wouldn't let her have any kind of fun.

And it didn't stop there!

She was never allowed to leave the confines of the barrier that surrounded the large castle that had become more of a prison than a real home. She had absolutely no idea what was beyond the high stone walls, what kind of people and things lived outside her cage.

Sometimes, she looked out the window of her bedroom, the tallest tower in the far south area of the castle.

From the high point, she could make out little smudges of huts and villages miles away.

She couldn't really make out any features of the tiny people but it didn't keep her from imagining what other people were like. She imagined that they were nice and friendly and played with her all day without making her be more careful.

Kagome wrinkled her nose at that phrase.

Nagato was always telling her that.

"Be careful, Kagome," and "It's too dangerous, Kagome," was his favorite things to say. It was darn irritating that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere or do anything; especially when she was cooped up below the castle whenever someone ventured too close to the castle.

Kagome shivered at the thought of the glass tank she was forced into at times.

It was a large, circular glass container filled with a sweet smelling liquid that always stayed warm. It wasn't uncomfortable, and she was able to breathe under the water, but it made her feel so very weak and tired. Whenever she was released from the container she always felt as though years had passed since she had slumbered.

And then there was the great hunger.

Kagome ran her tongue over the retracted fangs in her mouth.

The hunger was always the worst part of leaving the tank. It completely overtook her, sending cramps throughout her entire body, gnawing at her very soul. During that time, there was nothing more important to her than filling the emptiness.

Even now, there was a dull craving for substance, but it was manageable.

At least it was for now.

Standing, Kagome leapt over to one of the rocks sticking up from the river, balancing on one foot. Arms out, she tittered left and right trying to keep her balance. Wobbling a bit, she jumped over to another rock and then another. Her laughter bubbled up, spilling past her lips. As she hopped to the next, she lost her footing and slipped.

There was no fear or panic as she fell. Instead there was calm expectation.

She wasn't disappointed.

Levitating in the air, Kagome tilted her head backwards to glare at the tall, dark haired male standing at the river's edge looking none too pleased with her.

Dressed in a kimono, hakama and overcoat, he was as polished and darkly handsome as ever. Beneath his overcoat his armor flashed against the bright sun. His long, waist length hair was tied with a black leather thong in a loose ponytail tossed casually over his left shoulder.

Nagato was by far her favorite servaliyann.

He was the first servaliyann she had created herself. Most of her servaliyann had been created with a hot iron laced with her blood when she had been just a child in diapers.

But not Nagato, he was special to her.

He raised a brow, his shimmering green eyes narrowed at the little girl hovering in the air.

With a slight hand gesture he brought her closer. Kagome sighed, not even attempting to resist. Why bother?

It was no use.

The fun was over.

"You are being reckless," he said as she neared, his voice calm and deep, "How many times must we go through this?"

"It's not as though I would have been hurt," Kagome complained as her feet touched the ground.

"That is beside the point, this you know. You should not wonder this far from the castle; there have been too many curious individuals roaming close to the barrier,"

As if she didn't already know that. She'd heard the screams of those that got too close, smelled their blood as it soaked the earth even from high in her tower.

Kagome crossed her arms and looked away with a frown.

"Even if they get close to me they would be in more danger than I would," she reminded him.

"That will not always be the case. The years are passing quickly, and things are changing. People are changing,"

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I see no change," she said, "but of course I don't get to see _**anything**_. I'm not allowed to leave the barrier of the castle and if anyone does wander close enough, you or someone else rush me off to the water prison,"

"It is not a prison, the tank is filled with-"

"Warm liquid used to keep my presence and aura suppressed and keep me from being discovered as well as stop the hunger until I am able to leave the container. I know that already,"

"Then why do you continue to resist?"

"Because I'm only seven years old and I'm tired of being locked away from the rest of the world,"

Nagato had to admit that at least part of her explanation was accurate. Although Kagome had been alive far longer than seven years, her physical appearance and mind set was of a seven year old child. At such a young age, children often resisted things they didn't want to do.

Kagome was no different apparently.

"You are not locked away from the rest of the world,"

"Then how come I can't leave the barrier? How come I can't go to any of the villages? How come the only people I meet and get to play with are boring old servaliyanns that won't even let me have any fun?"

Because right now, Japan was torn apart by war, famine and savagery; it was the worse condition Japan had ever been in. The war between the Agyptians and Japanese had raged for centuries with no foreseeable end in sight. The blinding hatred between the two had carried on through the years, passing down from one generation to the next.

Peace was a distance memory, compromise non-existent, and graves, mass graves were becoming more and more common.

The only way it would ever end was if one side crushed the other; that was certainly clear.

Of course, Kagome would know naught about the on going war, about the slaughter of her own people by Nagato's people. Yafeu had been explicitly clear.

Kagome was not to know of the world beyond the castle walls.

Any outside influence could tip the fragile balance of her mind in a way they did not want. Kagome was…different than a normal child. Her mind at times was completely muddled and unstable, a dangerous state for her to be in.

"See, even you can't give me an answer," Kagome complained.

"You have already been given an answer to each of those questions,"

"Have not,"

"You've been told why things are as they are, but I will tell you again if that is your wish," Nagato said.

"Fine, please tell me again,"

"Because Yafeu has willed it so,"

Kagome could have screamed at that stupid answer. It was always the same thing; 'Because Yafeu said so'. That was the universal answer to everything. Whatever Yafeu said was what everyone believed, and hell would freeze over before anyone disobeyed his commands. His word was law in their little community.

She was sick to her little tummy of it.

But that was all she could do really; complain and complain about it.

She couldn't change anything.

Yafeu was the closest thing she had to one of those parental figures she'd read about, and from what she could tell he didn't seem to want to harm her in any way or to have anyone harm her. He simply seemed overprotective and overly concerned. And because of that, she could never stay irritated with him for long.

"It is time to return," Nagato said sternly, "You know it will be time to feed soon,"

Kagome sighed long and loud.

That was that then. Nagato was done fooling around.

Kagome wasn't that sad to leave though. Truth be told, the hunger was beginning to gnaw at her insides.

She was more than ready for her meal.

The two made their way back to the castle, and by the time they made it to the stairs leading to the tower where her bedroom was located, Kagome was beyond hungry.

She was starving.

Her fangs burst free, her finger nails growing sharp and deadly. Her eyes brightened, glowing nearly silver, shot through with specks of deep blue flakes. With this physical change, a mental change occurred as well.

Calmness settled over her like a blanket, bringing with it a sharp thread of bloodlust.

Her body ached, and every fiber of her being strained towards the awaiting meal in her bedroom. She could smell it from the bottom of the stairs, could hear the pounding of its heart.

As they climbed the stairs her own heartbeat increased tempo, and blood rushed to her head, pounding loudly in her ears. Already her mouth was salivating, her stomach clenching and unclenching in anticipation of its meal.

It seemed an eternity before they reached her bedroom door.

Kagome threw open her door, and rushed inside. As usual, Yafeu was waiting for her, golden mask gleaming, deep blue eyes ablaze with cruel amusement.

Bright smile and fangs gleaming, Kagome ran to the tall, tan male. He wore a dark linen kilt about his lean hips, and a black, short sleeved linen top. His long dark hair was pulled back and up in a high ponytail with a black leather thong and on his feet were a pair of golden sandals that crisscrossed up to his calves.

His arms opened and scooped her up, his grin widening behind his mask.

"Did you bring me something good to eat today?" Kagome questioned, her eerily glowing eyes locked on the dark figure crouched against the wall at the far end of her bedroom.

She could smell the fear rolling off of her next meal, could hear the loud pounding of its heart. Her stomach growled loudly.

"Of course, my angel," Yafeu assured her, his own eyes wandering over to the woman hunched over against the wall.

Kagome squirmed, ready to eat. Yafeu's arms tightened around her, holding her still.

"Now, now, Kagome, remember your manners this time. Consume what you wish and do not play with the remainder,"

Kagome pouted at that.

Even at feeding time she wasn't allowed to have any kind of fun. But at the moment, Kagome wasn't really bothered by it.

She was too hungry to care much about being reminded about not playing with her food.

Yafeu released her. Kagome landed on her feet, turning instantly towards the female.

The woman, no older than twenty-three winters, stood, slowly backing away. Her kimono was dingy and torn, her dark hair tangled about her shoulders. Wide brown eyes watched the little girl approaching her with no small amount of terror.

It did not really bother Kagome that the woman feared her so.

She was used to it by now. She knew how scary her eyes were when the hunger was upon her, she knew the energy that radiated from her was just as frightening.

"I… I know what you are," the woman began in a trembling voice, "Evil little girl…child of the devil…"

Kagome blinked at that.

"Devil?" she questioned.

"Hai! Devil child!" the young woman screamed, "I've heard the tales. A young girl with eyes as bright as the blue sky and evil as the devil himself,"

"I am not a devil child,"

"Aye you are," the woman insisted, looking over at the young girl with disgust, taking in the tanned skin and blue eyes, "I am not surprised. I expect such evil from your kind. Filthy beasts! I cannot wait for the day when every one of you are where you belong; groveling at the feet of your betters!"

Reaching out, Kagome grabbed a fistful of dark hair and yanked hard.

The woman screeched as Kagome pulled her across the floor, forcing her to crawl on her knees. Bringing her down to eye level, Kagome easily held the woman down on her knees.

"You talk too much," Kagome said, "Yafeu said not to talk to or play with my food, ne Yafeu?"

The masked male nodded, his smile widening.

"Aye, precious one; you need not speak to her anymore. Remember, she is food nothing more,"

"Vile Agyptian creatures!" the village woman yelled.

The young woman had no more than a glimpse of sharp teeth before they were embedded into the side of her soft neck. Instantly, the woman fell silent, her mouth open in a silent smile, her hands pushing weakly at the small shoulders of the young girl draining the very life from her body.

The blood was thick and warm on her tongue, flowing freely from the wound.

It was, like always, complete and utter euphoria.

Her head swam, her claws twitched, and her little body trembled. With brutal strength, she clutched the woman closer, uncaring of the damage she inflicted upon the woman. Kagome clamped down harder on her neck as more thick blood slipped down her throat, bringing her hunger to fevered pitch.

She needed more…

Her jaws tightened, and more blood gushed, filling her mouth.

The woman gasped loudly at the increased pressure, blood dribbling from her lips. The woman fought weakly, her rapidly declining strength making her struggles completely useless. Kagome pulled hard on the captured skin and muscle in her mouth, tearing a chunk of flesh from her neck.

The woman convulsed, her pale hands going up to the blood streaming from the wound in a desperate, but futile, attempt to stop the extreme bleeding. Using her legs, the village woman tried her best to distance her self from her, her feet slipping in the blood soaked floor. Kagome watched the scene dispassionately, chewing slowly on the bloody meat in her mouth. Her eyes gleamed excitedly at the dark crimson blood coating her bedroom floor.

The warm sticky liquid pooled beneath Kagome's bare feet, spurting onto her white dress and staining it red. Walking towards the woman once more, Kagome grabbed her hair and pulled her close. Her fangs clamped down on the gushing wound again, letting the blood fill her mouth.

The young village woman last no more than a minutes against the renewed assault, and as her body shut down and her flesh began to cool, Kagome fed from her, devouring flesh, blood and organs.

From across the room, Yafeu watched with a smile of pride.

His little angel had become quite vicious of late; the effects of Apep's presence within her body no doubt.

It was a good sign.

Apep was finally beginning to stir.

Over the centuries, little Kagome had been displaying brief moments of the dark intentions deep inside of her. Instead of just feeding on the life blood of her victims, Kagome had begun to enjoy the killing, had become fascinated with the running blood that pooled at her feet, and the pained expressions on the face of those she drained.

Not only that, but her excessive hunger for something more than simple blood and death.

She was craving something deeper than substance.

She hungered for souls; or rather, Apep hungered for souls.

Even she didn't realize it. Too consumed with the hunger to feed to notice anything, Kagome failed to notice that the intensity of her hunger was steadily increasing.

But he had expected such, she was very young still. There was much she had to learn.

The door to her bedroom opened.

Yafeu and Nagato turned towards the door. A cloaked servaliyann kneeled on one knee, one fist crossed over his chest, the other at his side.

"Please, forgive the intrusion, master Yafeu," the cloaked male began.

"You are disturbing your Queen's feeding time," Nagato said, green eyes narrowed.

"Forgive me," the male said again, "Lord Jikininki is here again to see master Yafeu,"

Nagato's brows drew down at the news. He turned to Yafeu.

"What is that fool thinking? Has he not been informed that coming here is dangerous?"

Of course he had.

On numerous occasions; but the foolish male refused to listen to reason. He insisted on coming to the castle to speak with Yafeu personally every decade or so, as well as verify that Kagome was still here and thriving. After making sure all was as it should be, he would start with his usual pestering and impatience, demanding to know when their plan would be set into motion.

Little did that idiot know; the real plan had begun centuries ago.

"He's been warned time and again," Yafeu confirmed, "but the silly snake is hard of hearing,"

Yafeu turned his attention to the servaliyann still kneeling in the doorway.

"I will see him," Yafeu said.

"Shall I send him up, master?"

Yafeu looked over at Kagome.

His angel was still feeding, digging out vital organs and biting into the soft bloody masses with great relish. She ate like a woman starved. Face smeared with blood and chunks of skin hanging from her lips, he decided she wasn't fit for company at the moment. Besides, with that intense look in her icy blue eyes, he was damn sure she would not want to be interrupted any time soon.

"Nay, I will be down momentarily," Yafeu said.

"Understood,"

The cloaked male bowed his head, stood and left as quietly as he arrived.

"He is jeopardizing everything," Nagato commented as the door closed.

Yafeu crossed his arms and grinned.

"Aye, he is, but it is to be expected when one is involved in this type of activity, Nagato. You need not worry," his eyes wandered over to Kagome, "As long as she lives there is no need to fear that our goal will not be reached. Her destiny cannot and will not be changed. Apep will rise again,"

Yafeu walked over to Kagome. His sweetheart was still feeding, lapping up the blood on her fingers. Gently, he reached out and stroked her long dark hair, his grin turning soft.

"I will be back soon my angel, behave for Nagato until I return,"

Kagome didn't seem to hear him. Stopping the great hunger was all she cared about at the moment. It was fine with him though, it actually made him happy to see her so into her meal. With another pat on the head, Yafeu turned and walked towards the door, stopping before he passed Nagato.

"See that she gets cleaned up when she finishes," Yafeu commanded before heading out of the bedroom.

Descending the tower steps, Yafeu straightened his clothing and adjusted his mask. He could already hear Jikininki making demands to be let up to the tower. His demands would fall on deaf ears. The servaliyanns obeyed no one other than him.

Why Jikininki wasted his time trying to sway them to disobey their master, Yafeu had no idea.

At the bottom of the stairs stood Jikininki yelling at the servaliyann that had informed them of the demon's arrival. Jikininki pounced as soon as he saw Yafeu.

"How dare you refuse me entrance to the tower," he sneered, crimson eyes snapping, "You forget yourself, Yafeu. That girl belongs to me as much as she does you. What right have you to bar me from her room?"

Yafeu lips stretched in amusement as he took in the appearance of the demon lord.

His skin was a bit tanner than before, not as dark as an Agyptian male, but brown enough to be considered a tan. The change no doubt occurred from his time spent battling in Agyptia during this time of war. Scars and scratches decorated his face and clawed hands. Even his eyes had changed; they'd become hollowed and at times a bit haunted.

It thoroughly amused Yafeu to see the results of the Youkai's battle with his fellow brethren.

"Lord Jikininki, to what pleasure do I owe this visit?" Yafeu called out with his usual enthusiasm.

It was the same overly nauseating enthusiasm that ticked off Jikininki, irritating him to no end every time the two male met.

"Cut the bullshit," Jikininki growled, "I demand to know why you have made no progress regarding the girl. This war will be over in but a few more years, and once that happens, that damn Sounga will have more time to focus on my activities. I expected to have the ability to crush that mutt long ago,"

Yafeu threw back his head and laughed.

Jikininki's eyes narrowed dangerously, his clawed hands clenching.

How he hated that masked Agyptian.

Filthy diseased beasts…

When he was the new ruler of the known world he would make sure that the Agyptian people were little more than scum beneath his feet.

"You cannot rush this process, Jikininki," Yafeu cooed.

"That is _Lord_ Jikininki to you, swine,"

Yafeu merely smirked, blue eyes dancing with open glee.

"You never cease to amuse me," Yafeu said, walking towards the front of the castle, "Your kind has always been without patience, or common sense. Did you think it would be easy to gain the power you seek? Honestly, you are the leader of your clan, such ignorance on your part is more than a little surprising I must say,"

"You son of a-"

"In any case, Kagome is nowhere near ready. She has years to grow and develop; trying to force something that cannot be forced will not speed up this process. It will merely slow it down or fuck it up entirely,"

Jikininki gnashed his teeth together.

"You play games, Yafeu, games that will get you killed," he hissed angrily.

Yafeu merely shrugged at that, adding a deep chuckle at the end. Jikininki stepped in front of the smiling male, forcing him to halt.

"That girl is centuries old by now, what more growing and development could she possibly need?"

"That girl is no older than a seven year old child," Yafeu explained, "Her growing and development is sporadic at best so there is no way of predicting how much time she needs,"

Jikininki's hands clenched.

Turning sharply away, he paced the length of the hall twice before stomping back to the grinning tanned male. The intense gleam in his eyes spoke volumes about what he was feeling at the moment.

"There is no need for such impatience," Yafeu said, "When it is time, you will gain that which you deserve. If you cannot handle Lord Sounga until then, then perhaps you cannot handle the power you wish to gain,"

At those words, Jikininki's face turned red.

His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed in warning.

Yafeu was not fazed by the look at all. He feared none but his own master, Adofo and the wrath of his God Apep.

After a terse silence, Jikininki stood straighter, his jaw relaxing only slightly.

"I will return in five hundred years. At that time, I demand to see progress or I will take matters into my own hands,"

That said, he turned and stomped away with long angry steps.

Yafeu watched the male depart, his grin firmly intact behind his mask.

OoOoOoOoO

Eyes closed, Sesshomaru reached up and pinched the skin between his eyes in irritation. His head was pounding, his eyes burning and the tension in his neck and shoulders had him as stiff as a rock.

Nothing was going as planned.

They were losing the war.

It was unbelievable, unconceivable…but true.

They were losing soldiers by boatloads, reducing their own population here in Japan, and because of the large amount of casualties, more and more males were forced to fight, males that had little training in the art of combat. And with the men gone, taxing labor fell to the women and young children to complete.

Those left behind were beginning to protest further participation in the war against the Agyptians quite clearly and quite loudly.

There was talk of rebellion and a secret peace treaty with the Agyptians among the Japanese people.

Sesshomaru had no idea if the rumor was true or not, but such gossip could not and would not be overlooked by him or the other clans.

Even within his clan there was unrest and unease.

The harsh conditions, the loss of their husbands, fathers and sons, it was too much for his people. His desk was flood with documents; cries for help, demands of aid for those in need and most of, thousands of thousands of letters pleading for the same thing; an end to the war.

Had he been in any position to grant that wish he would have, but his hands were tied.

The other clan leaders had outvoted his and his father's motion to come to a compromise with the Agyptian people in an effort to end the war. Not only that, but the Agyptian Pharaoh Bomani had refused any and every attempt of civil conversation and understanding.

They had no choice.

They had to fight or be annihilated, and he'd be damned if would allow his people and his country to be wiped out by those uncivilized beasts that were no better than the dirt beneath his booted feet.

Sitting back in his chair, Sesshomaru stared at the stacks of scrolls before him, replaying his thoughts.

It seemed that Izaoi was right, he had become somewhat prejudice against the Agyptian people. But he had good reason to be. Just look at what they had done, look at the bloody war they had begun, that had no end in sight, their refusal to even consider a peace treaty of any kind.

And then there was the wedge they were driving between him and his step mother. Over the years, the treatment of the slaves was a constant argument for the two of them. Sesshomaru refused to see them as beings of worth while she refused to see them as anything other than that. He would not change his low opinion of them and she would not change her unnecessarily high opinion of them.

But it didn't really matter what she thought. He knew what sort of people they were and would treat them accordingly whether she liked it or not.

They deserved nothing more than his contempt and disgust.

He would be the first to admit to his hatred of the tanned skinned, blue eyed garbage and he had absolutely no qualms about making that hatred known to the slaves he acquired and anyone else that happened to be present. The shipload of Agyptian slaves that were brought over to work were treated like the pieces of shit they were in his home and all throughout Japan.

Even hanyous were treated a hell of a lot better.

As far as the Japanese were concerned, the Agyptians were no longer people. They were slaves, property and nothing more.

Izaoi seemed to be the exception to that type of thinking, however.

She refused to treat their new slaves as less than what they were and at times, she often interfered with the punishments they were dealt when they were disobedient or did not perform their duties to satisfactory standards.

Yes, the punishments were harsh; public floggings, time in what was called "the hole", even beatings were considered acceptable when chastising a slave.

Izaoi called these methods barbaric.

Sesshomaru called them necessary and completely appropriate.

He stood and walked over to one of the floor length windows of his father's study. Outside, the once lush land of the Shiro clan was nothing more than a former shadow of its former glory. The homes of his people were dirtied and in need of repairs, the crops were wilting, the inhabitants as worn and tore down as their homes.

It made his blood boil at the sight of it.

To think that his mighty clan could be brought this low by some dark skinned savages was unbelievably sickening.

Even with the damn stones they were holding on by a thread.

Something had to be done. Drastic measures had to be taken to suppress those beasts and restore his clan and lands to their former glorified state. Though his father had sent him letter after letter voicing his wishes of refraining from doing anything too drastic until absolutely necessary, Sesshomaru felt that it was in fact necessary now.

This had gone on for too long.

He damn well hated to admit it, but that slimy bastard Matosi had in fact been correct.

This war needed to end and if it meant the eradication of any and every Agyptian being that dared to rebel against the Japanese people then so be it.

Sesshomaru was willing to commit to that.

He would have to go against the wishes of his father but as far as he was concerned, the needs of his people came before his father's. He was the head of the clan in his father's absence and he would make the decisions that benefited his clan.

A shuffling noise interrupted his thoughts. A familiar scent drifted to his nose. Sesshomaru continued to face the window, feigning nonchalance.

The sound of soft footsteps reached his ears.

He had no idea why he continued to humor him with this ridiculous game, but could not stop himself.

And honestly, he didn't want to. He had a fondness for the younger demon he called brother, though he'd burn in a lake of fire before he ever admitted to such affection.

The footsteps were right behind him now.

Clothing rustled, letting Sesshomaru know that his little brother was about to reach up and grab him. As the hanyou made the dive Sesshomaru moved, stepping to the side and watching as the young preteen fell to the floor.

Over the centuries his little brother had gone through quite a few changes. Though he was no where as tall as Sesshomaru himself, he had certainly grown more than a few inches. He'd filled out more, gained more muscle and a more mature outlook on life. His voice was probably the most significant and embarrassing change that had occurred.

It crackled, it broke, it went up and down in pitch in the most inopportune and inappropriate times.

"You are too noisy when you approach," Sesshomaru informed the younger male.

Growling, Inuyasha sat up, arms crossed, scowl place as he glared up at his older brother.

"I almost had you this time,"

Sesshomaru raised a silver brow at that comment.

"You were nowhere near close to sneaking up on this Sesshomaru. Your inferior stealth skills will give away your location every time,"

"They wouldn't be if you'd train me like father used to," Inuyasha shot back.

"I have told you more than once, I am very busy. You have instructors that can teach you all that is needed in combat,"

"But you and father are better than any of them,"

He was of course right about that. None compared to him and his father in the art of combat. They were in fact the best of the best.

"It matters not, father is not here to train you and I am too busy to do so myself. You can either continue to pout or you can learn what you can from your instructors,"

Inuyasha sighed and stood up, dusting off his fire red kimono and hakama as he did so. Crossing his arms he turned away in irritation.

"You could make time if you wanted to," he insisted.

Sesshomaru said nothing, merely watched the young demon with intense amber eyes. After a moment, Inuyasha sighed again.

"Alright, alright I'm going," he said heading towards the door, "but I ain't gotta like it,"

Sesshomaru could care less if he decided to like it or not. As long as he did what he was supposed to do he had no kind of complaint.

The door closed and Sesshomaru went back over to his father's desk.

Closing a few scrolls that were for his eyes only, he stashed them away before leaving the room. He was too tired to continue staring at the documents scattered around him. It was giving him a goddamn headache.

Just the thought of the mountains of paperwork brought tension to the back of his neck and shoulders.

He headed towards his bedchamber, completely oblivious to the servants and slaves coming and going around him. More than a few of the tanned slaves recoiled from him, fear instantly overtaking them. Each of the slaves knew that to be noticed by the young demon lord was in no way a good thing.

Most of the time, the unwanted attention resulted in some form of pain or embarrassing task.

They scattered, ducking into nearby rooms, some turned back in the opposite direction and moved as fast as their legs could carry them.

In the hall, with servants and slaves in the same area it was very easy to identify servant and slave.

Servants were Japanese individuals, dressed in blue and white livery. The servants were clean and well cared for. They often lived in the castle, yet some lived outside the castle walls. They were paid for their services and were treated fairly. Their duties included running the household and directing the slaves. No sort of heavy, hard work was given to the servants.

The slaves however were another story.

Slaves were the Agyptian people. Dressed in dingy, scratchy, hand-me-down kimonos or linen dirty, ripped up tunics. No shoes were given to them to wear and around their necks were collars infused with the power suppressant stones. They lived in cramp slave villages a distance away from the castle, cramped huts and barely any land to grow and harvest crops for food.

Slaves were forbidden to live inside the castle. Their labor included cleaning, cooking, serving, gardening, and anything else they were ordered to do. They were never paid for their work.

They lived only to serve.

Serve or die, that was the way of the life of a slave.

It was hell.

A hell Sesshomaru made sure the Agyptian people inhabited on a daily basis.

OoOoOoOoO

_**Sorry it took so long to update. There were a few things I had to figure out with this story and I wasn't really sure where I wanted to start this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it though! Now, I know Kagome's character is a little twisted and jacked up but bear with it for a while. You have to understand that Kagome was raised by crazy Agyptians with a thirst for blood and that is what she was taught. Her view of right and wrong right now is a little distorted but please bear with it.**_

_**Only two reviews? Awww, that makes me sad. Anyway, I will thank those kind enough to leave me their thoughts.**_

blooboboboobobob_**- This fic is going to be really dark and bloody so that suicide was just the tip of the iceberg. Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet XD. I am glad you are enjoying this story so far and I really, really hope to hear from you again!**_

MariisCa- _**So happy to hear you like the story! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and of course I await your next review!**_

_**Please be sure to review everybody, you know I love to hear your thoughts!**_

_**Laters! **_

_**~Sessakag**_


	11. Escape

_**Chapter Eleven:**_

_**Escape**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**_

_**March, 15th, 900 A.D.**_

Kagome opened her eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling above her head. She remained in bed, her ears tuned to the noises around her. She could hear the soft breathing of the servaliyann outside her door, the soft footsteps of even more of her loyal servants tirelessly pacing through the castle halls, guarding it against intruders.

She listened closer, straining hard to hear as much as she could.

There were seventy…no seventy three servaliyanns currently about and over a hundred more fast asleep in their beds.

But most of all, Yafeu and Nagato were not at the castle at the moment.

Though it was rare for both males to be gone at the same time, it was not a surprise for her. As much as they tried to hide the fact that they were not always about, she had found out months ago. Their auras or energies, or whatever it was she sensed in them would both disappear from time to time. When they were here, she felt them, when she didn't feel them then had to be because they were no long at the castle and within her reach.

Tonight was such a night and she could not be happier for it!

Tonight was the night she had decided to flee the castle and search out the world beyond the castle barriers. The world she could see from her tower but had never been in.

She'd come back of course, as suffocating and boring as this place seemed it was still her home. The only place she knew, but she wanted to see what she had been missing out on since her birth. She wanted to see what it was that Yafeu and everyone else was hell bent on protecting her from.

It couldn't be as bad as they were making it out to be.

Besides, she was seven years old, plenty old enough to be out and about on her own for a while. At least her mind she was.

With bated breath and quiet movements, Kagome slipped from her comfy, feather stuffed canopy bed. Her feet touched the cold stoned floor silently. Slowly she stood, eyes glued to the door, hearing strained to the movements of the guard at her door.

No one had burst through her door as of yet demanding to know what she was doing out of bed. Still, she didn't breathe until she had tiptoed over to the single window of her bedroom.

Outside the sky was dark, illuminated partially by the high full moon. Stars gleamed, twinkling bright, adding more light to the dark night. It was not her preferable night to attempt her first escape, but it would have to do.

She would much rather make her escape without the light of the moon and stars making it easier for someone to spot her, but with Yafeu and Nagato gone it was too good a chance to pass up.

The times they were gone were intermittent, not to mention the length of time each male was gone was completely unpredictable. No, she had to do this now, tonight. She couldn't stand another moment locked away in this quiet castle, servaliyanns watching her every move with her books and dolls to keep her company.

Pushing aside the curtain covering the open window, she threw one leg of the windowsill and glanced over at the door again.

No movement from the guard that signaled she had been found out.

Heart pounding, she held on to the wall as she edge out completely, sitting on the windowsill, both feet dangling. Below her the drop looked steep and bone crushing. For a moment, she hesitated to go any further.

Sure she'd survived a fall from a tree branch without injury, and the occasional fall from the slippery rocks protruding from the river, but this, this gave her pause.

Never before had she fallen from such a height.

And as much as she complained about not being able to have fun, she didn't really consider the fall she could possibly suffer anywhere near being fun.

She looked over at the small huts in the distance, many of them darkened for the night.

Did she really want to give up already?

Was she really that much of a chicken?

Dark brows drew down in a frown. Heck no she wasn't!

Stealing her nerves, she shifted, her bare feet searching for stable footing. Luckily, the way the stones were layered, there were gaps and spaces where her little feet and hands could use much like a ladder to climb down.

The wind blew her hair about her face and body. A few time she had to spit the strains from her mouth.

As she climbed, a thousand worries crossed her mind.

What if she lost her footing? What if her night gown got tangled around her legs and she fell? What if the wind blew too hard and blew her away?

It made the climb seem to last an eternity.

She nearly collapsed in relief as her trembling limbs touched solid ground. Leaning against the stone wall for a moment, Kagome took a few calming breaths, trying to cool the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

When she had regained some measure of control, she looked up the castle from where she had come, disbelieving she had climbed that far without falling.

Wiping her forehead of perspiration with the sleeve of her gown, she turned and looked around.

There didn't seem to be anyone on this side of the castle and she couldn't hear any one walking around, but still, she had to be careful. One slip up and she'd be deposited back into her bedroom, scolded by Nagato and lectured by Yafeu before she could even open her mouth to offer an explanation for being out of her room at this time of night.

She walked as quietly as she could towards the back wall surrounding the castle throwing glances frequently over her shoulder as she moved.

Her heart was pounding so hard she wondered how she would even hear if anyone was following her with the loud pounding blocking out even the sound of her own breathing. When she reached the wall, she looked back, peering over the long, empty stretch of grass for any movement.

There was none.

Turning back to the wall, she looked up at the length. Had she not climbed down a huge tower the height would have been a bit intimidating.

Walking over to a nearby tree whose branches hung over the wall, she began to climb.

Once she had reached the sturdiest branch overhanging the stone wall, she sat down on the limb and scooted over inch by inch, hoping the thin branch would hold her weight. Each creak, each snap sent blood pounding to her head.

As she edged over to the end of the tree limb she moved careful, letting first one foot dangle and then the other until she was hanging a few feet over the ground.

The branch dipped low under the strain.

Kagome barely felt the barrier surrounding the area give way as she looked down, trying to work up the courage to let go and jump down. The loud snap took the decision from her hands. She had only a second to squeal before she was falling, landing hard on the ground beneath her.

"Ow," she groaned, rubbing at her abused bottom.

At least she was down now. Standing, Kagome began to smile.

She had made it out!

Turning she looked back at the wall, then beyond the wall to her tower. She wondered if anyone was looking for her yet.

If they were, she'd best get out of the area before she was dragged back.

Turning with a giggle, Kagome began to run towards the general area she had seen the village huts. Her mind raced wildly, wondering what was in store for her, wondering if there children her age waiting to play with her.

She bet there were hundreds of them!

Happily she ran through the forest, dreams of little girls and boys beckoning for her to come and play with them.

OoOoOoOoO

Yafeu sat atop the wall surround the castle, his smile bright as he watched his little dove race through the thick forest, dark hair flowing, her white dress a bright beacon for any to glimpse, disappearing from sight moments later.

He hadn't known if she would actually gather the courage to leave, but now that she was out and about, he felt pleasantly surprised though he was not sure.

Even he could see that she was as gutsy as that dead mother of hers had been.

"Do you think this is wise, master?" his companion asked for the hundredth time in the last six months.

Yafeu turned to the male standing next to him on the wall. His grin widened in amusement. Nagato was as worried as a mother hen that had misplaced her offspring. More than once he had come to the edge of openly opposing Yafeu's choice in letting Kagome make this decision. Of course the servant would never go against him, but that didn't mean he agreed with the decision either.

His agreement, however, was neither wanted nor needed.

"Aye," Yafeu answered, "I think it very wise indeed. She has been restless of late and I will admit that maybe it is unfair to keep her contained for so long,"

"But we do so for her protection," Nagato countered, "This world is dangerous to her. And if her importance became known there would be even more trouble,"

"You forget, Nagato, she too is a danger to this world," he said with a chuckle, "She needs understand why we have kept her hidden away from the outside, why she is different than everyone else, and most of all, she needs to understand the harsh realities of the life outside the castle that she so desperately wishes to see,"

Nagato turned his eyes back to the area where the little girl had disappeared, a frown marring his features. He still didn't like it.

"What better way to send her rushing back to the safe haven of her tower than the stinging disappointment of the real world?"

Nagato sighed but said nothing else. Yafeu would have his way no matter what point he brought up. There was nothing more he could do than sit back, watch and pray that this little experiment of his master's was over soon with no harm coming to his little Queen.

Instead, he turned to another subject of interest.

"There was a rumor that you are planning to capture someone of great importance, a certain someone that would be greatly cripple the efforts of Japan in this war,"

Yafeu threw back his head and laughed at that.

"You do hear some of the strangest rumors, Nagato,"

Nagato was not put off by that at all. He pressed forward.

"I thought we were not to have any direct influence on the war in order to keep attention from being drawn to us,"

"Hmmm, well Master Adofo has decided otherwise. He has decided that there are things we can do to further our cause that will, unfortunately force us to play a hand in the war,"

Nagato mulled that over silently, wondering how far his mater's master was going to push them into the fight. It was hard enough trying to keep Kagome's presence a secret from the outside world, but to do so as well as get involved in war that could potentially cause more problems for them.

He had no idea what Master Adofo had planned, but he could only hope the male knew what he was doing.

Unable to stop himself, he once again turned the conversation to Kagome by pointing out the obvious and biggest flaw in his master's experiment.

"What about her hunger, master? If she goes around devouring the villagers someone is surely going to think that strange,"

"You do not give her much credit," Yafeu pointed out, "She will learn soon enough that her eating habits are…outside of the normal. Once she has gained that piece of knowledge, she is likely to suppress her hunger impulses in an attempt to control them,"

"Is that healthy?"

"Hmmm, I don't know," he said, grin blazing in excitement, "We shall see,"

Nagato frowned at that and turned his attention to the dark sky. They would definitely see, now that Yafeu had let the girl loose on an unsuspecting little village. He could only imagine the disaster brewing in the distance.

OoOoOoOoO

Kagome tired three hours later.

She had been running for quite a while and had yet to come across anyone or any villages. She couldn't even hear or smell anything that was human or demon. There weren't really any animals either.

She didn't know that the castle was so very isolated.

Looking up at the dark sky she sighed.

She was too tired to continue. She needed to sleep. In the morning, when she could actually see where she was going, she would continue her search for civilization. Turning in a small circle, she looked around the immediate area for somewhere to sleep.

A circle of bushes caught her eyes.

Squeezing in between two bushes, Kagome inspected the soft grass it encircled. The area was clear of rocks and insects and would conceal her should some stray animal come along looking for a meal or worse, one of her servaliyanns wandered by searching for her. Lying down on the grass, Kagome brought her knees up and her arms down in a fetal position.

As she drifted to sleep, her mind could not help but compare the ground to her own canopy bed back in the tower.

XOXOXOX

She awoke bright and early the next day, and for a moment, she wondered what she was doing outside instead of nestled in her fluffy, warm, overstuffed bed until she remembered her escape the night before.

Standing, she dusted her night gown off and climbed from between the two bushes.

Luckily, having fed on a rather large male before bed yesterday, the hunger was held back this morning. Kagome predicted she had maybe a week before she had to eat once more, though she wasn't sure how she was going to go about doing it. Yafeu usually brought her food to her, and she had no idea how or where he got the people from.

Did one just go up to a random person and start gnawing on their flesh or was there such a place to purchase them?

And if she did have to buy them, where was she going to get the money?

She had only seen money a few times and that had only been in sketches in the books and scrolls she had read. She had no idea how get it.

She sighed.

This was turning out to be more complicated than she had thought it would be.

Still, at least she was out and about and had a few days before she would need to make any big decision about meal time. With that problem pushed firmly to the back of her mind, Kagome began heading towards the area she suspected village was in.

It was three more hours before her ears picked up the subtle sounds of activity.

Excitement blooming in her chest, she broke into a run.

As she neared her senses came alive. Smells, sounds, even energies rushed towards her, bring more anticipation to the little girl. She stopped on the outskirts of the bustling town, big blue eyes taking in the strange sight before her.

It was bigger than she imagined, and a lot less glamorous. The huts she had seen from a distance were ragged and in desperate need of repair. To Kagome they looked like they were quite ready to fall over at the first fierce wind. The people walking about dressed in what could only be described as rags for the material looked very rough to the skin and had numerous holes. No one seemed to be smiling, and there were no children playing about.

As she watched, she noticed something.

There were different people like in the castle. Some of them had really white skin like Nagato, and then some of them had tanned skin like her and Yafeu.

That would not have been so strange to her if the differences between the people had ended there.

The lighter villagers were ragged, yes, but their clothing was a bit better than the darker people. On their clothing were designs, colors, and they were very clean looking. In comparison, the tanned villagers wore nothing more than plain white linen dresses or trousers that were so dirty they looked brown. The dresses were cut to mid thigh and short sleeved, while the trousers were cut a little bellow the knee and held up with rope about the waist. The males were not supplied with shirts for their trousers, and the females had no designs on their clothing.

Even then, the difference continued.

Around the necks of the darker people were little metal collars fitted tightly against their throats.

Kagome had never seen one of her servaliyanns were such jewelry before, then again, their bodies were covered up by their robes and hoods so she wouldn't know.

The dark villagers were engrossed with many laborious, back breaking tasks such as plowing fields, harvesting the crops, cleaning and mending huts and carrying large buckets of water tethered to a long piece of wood resting on their shoulders.

The white skinned villagers didn't seem to have any work to do at all. They stood about talking and conversing with each other, ignoring the working people around them.

Kagome watched all this with wide blue eyes, not sure what to make of it.

Though she had read about people, she had never read about the way a village worked or what the people in those villages did. She didn't know if this was normal or not. But looking at the way people were carrying on as though nothing out of the ordinary were occurring she had no choice but to assume that this was normal behavior.

Now that she had arrived in the village, she was a bit nervous to go any further. No one here looked particularly friendly or approachable to her.

Nervously twisting her sloppily braided hair, she took a few steps forward.

Her feet continued to move until she found herself close enough to hear the heartbeats of the villagers. At the last moment, she lost her nerve and ducked behind a hut, heart pounding. In the shade of the hut, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating pulse.

She had to get a handle on herself otherwise she'd never meet anyone.

"What be you, hiding here behind that there house. You best get to work little girl, else they'll get the whip for ya little hide,"

Kagome jumped at the sound of the voice, her heart rate shooting up through the roof again.

A plumped, middle aged, tanned woman stood over her, wrinkled face pinched in a scowl. She wiped her dirty hands on her dirty clothing and took a closer look at the little girl, moving a bit closer.

Kagome took a step back.

"Well now, ain't ya dressed a bit fancy fer yer station, girl?" the woman asked curiously, "And them eyes, ain't ne'er seen 'em on no Agyptian afore. But ye be Agyptian, yer skin's tan and ye got that dark hair. Don't 'member er 'er seeing ya face afore. Where from do ya come from, girl? Ye a fresh slave from Agyptia?"

Kagome could barely understand the woman's speech and had no idea what she was talking about. She fished for something to say.

"I'm not from around here," she finally settled on saying.

The woman's dark brows climbed upward as she spoke.

"Ye talk with them fancy airs. Where are ye from?"

Kagome's brain drew a blank. If she told the woman that she had escaped from a castle tower six hours from the village would the woman take her back? She didn't want to go back, at least not yet. She hadn't met any children her age to play with yet.

"Be ye addled, girl?" the woman asked impatiently, "Do not ya know where ya come from?"

Kagome shook her head instead of telling the woman where she had come from.

"Must've taken too many whips to the backside, eh girl, done turned ya brain ta mush?"

Kagome only stared at the woman, still unsure of what she was going on about it her strange way of speaking.

"Gonna get ya self some more if ya don't quit yer hiding and get to work. Who be ya master?"

Kagome's brows drew down in confusion.

"Master?"

"Aye, girl, can not ya understand? Who be ya master?"

Kagome blinked. She didn't have a master. The servaliyanns called Yafeu master all the time, but Kagome never had. As far as she knew, he wasn't her master. More like her father than anything else.

"I don't have one," she said truthfully.

"Don't have- girl ye be talkin' nonsense for truth! Don't has a master," the woman mocked, "Ye brain is sure frayed girl,"

"What's going on back here?" a male called out, walking over to the two Agyptian women, "You there, slave woman, what do you think you're doing back here with that child?"

The woman turned to the male approaching them, fear overtaking her in seconds. The woman was on her knees in moments, face in the dirt. Kagome took a step back as the seemingly angry male neared. He was one of the white skinned people. He wore clothing that looked a lot better than anything anyone else wore.

His clothing looked like the soft material Yafeu wore, but were cut like Lord Jikininki's outfit. The sleeves long, the trousers ballooned out. The top was black with a bright red vine design while his trousers were the same color red as the vines.

His dark hair was pulled back at his nape, his bangs hanging right above arched eyebrows and deep brown eyes.

He pinned the kneeled woman with an intense look.

"Nothin' sir, I swears. I was working when that there girl come out of the woods and she come here and hide behind that there hut," the woman began to explain rapidly, "says she don't know where she came from, says she ain't got no master. Her mind be addled,"

The male turned his attention to her. Kagome took another step back. The male approached her, towering over her slight frame.

"What are you doing back here little girl? Why are you not working?" he questioned, "Where is you master?"

Kagome could only blink up at the male, not sure what he was talking about. Didn't the woman already tell him that she had no master? Was he deaf then?

"I don't have one," she said.

"You don't have one?" the man asked in disbelief.

Kagome's brows drew down in confusion. Wasn't that what she had just said? Was he not sound of mind or something?

"I don't have one," Kagome repeated, hoping this time it stuck in the man's head.

"What nonsense do you speak, girl? No Agyptian steps foot in Japan without a master," the man said, "I'll not put up with your foolishness, addled mind or not,"

Irritated with the repetitiveness of the conversation, Kagome placed her hands on her little hips.

"I don't have a master, I've already told you that," she began, "I came here to play and meet other people,"

The male's eyebrows drew down. He drew himself up to his full height.

"Now look here girl," he said, finger pointed at her little nose, "I've had enough of this foolishness, if you won't tell me who your master is, then I'll have to get one for you. Lucky for you, there's to be an auction this afternoon,"

"I don't need a master," Kagome informed him, "I already told you why-"

The blow was more of a surprise than actually painful. She was sure the man meant to knock her on her butt like she had seen Yafeu do to the servaliyanns when they displeased him, but the force behind his hand hadn't even been enough to turn her head. For a moment, she could only stare up at the male, confusion burning in her eyes.

Nobody had ever hit her before or at least that she knew of. It was possible that she had been hit when eating by her meal, but then the bloodlust was so strong she usually didn't remember much about it.

But still, who did this guy think he was?

The man looked at her, clearly displeased that she hadn't reacted differently to the physical attack. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of her right arm and began to drag her behind him as he walked back onto the busy main road of the village.

Instantly snapping from her slightly stunned stupor, Kagome wrenched her arm free of his grasp.

"Do not touch me," she said angrily.

Activity around her ceased, people stopped talking and working, eyes trained on the little girl. The tanned villagers looked horrified at her words while the Japanese villagers looked stunned, outraged and angry.

"Why you little piece of garbage!"

Kagome turned her attention back to the man that had grabbed her. He was rushing over, fist raised. Again, Kagome barely felt the hit to her cheek. It felt more like a pesky bug that would relent even when swatted.

"I said stop touching me," she repeated, even more irritated.

This time, the man didn't look displeased; he looked more than a bit worried. The crowd, excluding the tanned villagers, that had gathered had taken a step back from her, whispering among themselves and pointing.

"Show me your collar," the man finally demanded.

Kagome's brows drew down in confusion. Collar? What was he talking about? This people really did ask the strangest requests of her.

"Collar? I don't have a collar,"

Loud gasps filled the air and the crowd, once again excluded the tanned slaves, took more than a few steps away from her, horrified.

Before she could stop him, the man came forward again and pulled down the high neck of her night gown.

Her bare neck made his eyes widen with fear, and his feet involuntarily moving backwards. Kagome's brows stretched upward, confused as to what the foolish man was so afraid of. It wasn't her feeding time and she certainly didn't find him appealing in the least for a meal.

The crowd around her erupted into near chaos. Women began screaming, while men began shouting. The Agyptian people were hustled away, while the streets began to empty. Kagome merely watched the activity around her in confused fascination, wondering why everyone was running away just because she didn't have a 'collar'.

Was this some sort of game?

Kagome watched the people for a long while before something new gained her interest.

From out of the crowd, men came walking towards her, weapons in their hands, their faces covered by strange white masks with a single red slash starting from just above the left eye to the right cheek. Each male wore black balloon shaped trousers and black shirts.

"I know not how you entered this country without a collar," one of the male's from the group said, stepping forward, long chain in hand, "but you will not go another moment without one,"

What difference did it make if she had one or not? What was so special about a collar anyways?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the men advanced, weapons drawn aggressively towards her. Kagome took a few steps back.

Were they trying to hurt her?

Good gracious, why? She hadn't done anything wrong! So she didn't have a collar, big deal! Was that such a terrible crime?

"Do not fight," one of the male warned, "Let us place the collar on you and you will not be punished,"

Punished? For what exactly?

Kagome was not about to stick around and find out.

Turning, she ran full speed. She got only a few feet before she tripped. Looking down, pulled at the chain wrapped around her ankles. Pain, something she had never experienced before, took her breath away. It burned and throbbed all the way through her body. Blood, her own blood, dripped from wounds inflicted by the sharp studded chain, filling her nose and making her feel sick to her tummy.

Her mind was a jumble, not sure how to process this new sensation, the sight of blood that was her own.

Panicked, she pulled at the metal, crying out in pain as they scrapped her skin.

The male holding the chain began to retract it, pulling her along the ground and yanking on the skin of her ankles. Pulling in earnest, her hands beginning to bleed, Kagome looked at the male pulling her in fear.

"Stop it!" she cried out, tears shimmering, "Let me go!"

"Do not resist," the male said, "You will only make things worse for yourself,"

Heart pounding, Kagome swallowed the pain and ripped hard at the chains, gasping in relieved pain as the came free. She was on her feet in seconds, once more running. Like an animal cornered, she ran for the shelter of the forest, desperately seeking her home.

God had she made a mistake!

This was what Yafeu had been protecting her from; crazy villagers who attacked because she didn't have some sort of collar. Good Lord this world outside her safe haven was completely insane! She wanted no part of it!

Her feet ached as she ran, the pain in them thrumming intensely up her legs.

This wasn't normal!

Any wound she acquired usually healed within seconds. These wounds, they weren't healing. They were bleeding freely and bringing so much pain to her that if she had not been fleeing for her life she would have cried.

The sound of rapid footfalls behind her brought dread and fear to her heart.

Pumping her arms and legs harder, she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her. A sob and a scream tore from her throat as the barbed chain once more wrapped its way around her calves and ankles. Again, the pain shot through her as she was dragged across the forest floor, her fingers clawing at the dirt, leaving deep groves in the soft ground.

Tears blurred her vision, streaming down her cheeks as the men closed in, flipping her onto her back. They bore her down to the ground, wrapping more spiked chains about her wrists.

Kagome struggled, wrenching her arms, kicking her feet, unable to hold back her tears and fear stricken sobs. She was well and truly frightened. Whatever those chains were, they were different. It felt like they were sapping her strength while enhancing the pain.

She was screaming so loud and hard her throat ached and yet she couldn't stop.

She called out for Yafeu, Nagato, anyone to save her from these crazy people. No one headed her words.

"Such a fuss is not necessary," admonished one of the men as he bent towards her, a small silver collar in his hands, "You bring pain to yourself with your struggles,"

As he snapped the collar around her neck, Kagome felt a sharp, overwhelming pain rip through her body. Her lungs couldn't capture enough air, her head felt as though it would explode, while her blood crashed hotly through her veins.

The pain, hammering over her entire body was too much to bear.

The sight of the masked men crouching over her faded, blurred and finally darkened. As consciousness slipped away, voices reached her ears.

"Did you see this one's eyes," murmured a low voice.

"Yes," agreed another,"I've not seen that color on one of her kind before. They are most unsettling..."

OoOoOoOoO

"Are we not to step in?" Nagato asked for the sixtieth time, watching as the dark clothed masked men scooped up the unconscious child and carried her away.

Yafeu, grin blazing shook his head. Perched atop a sturdy branch, Yafeu sat crossed legged while Nagato stood, arms crossed, frown in place. He didn't like this, at all. It was one thing for them to allow her to escape the tower, but quite another to sit back and watch her be hunted like an animal and carried away.

"This is needed," Yafeu explained, "This will stay with her for all time, this experience and I'll not interfere until it is time. Neither will you,"

Nagato clenched his fists, watching as the men disappeared with his queen. He felt her pain as if it were his own, felt the separation between them so deeply it hurt to breathe. And yet he could do nothing but sit back, watch and obey the orders of Yafeu.

Not that any of this was his choice.

Until Kagome came of age, he was stuck obeying the masked Agyptian. The plight of the servaliyann people who would much rather trail after the dark haired little angel, snapping the necks of any and all that tried to harm her as the followed. That was not to be so. Kagome had more than a little bit of ripening to do before she would be able to command them all.

"For how long will this continue?" Nagato asked.

"Hmmm," Yafeu mumbled, seeming to weigh his answer carefully.

It annoyed Nagato that the other male put on a show. He knew damn well he was not thinking about his answer as thoughtfully as all that. But for some reason, Yafeu enjoyed to pretend, enjoyed acting even though, most of the time, he fooled no one but himself.

Finally, he shrugged his shoulders, amusement gleaming in his bright blue eyes.

"I have not the answer to that question," he admitted, "When she is on the very edge, when she cannot stand to stay in this world one moment longer, when she has lost all hope, that is when we will move,"

"And if that does not happen?"

Yafeu pursed his lips, once again feigning thoughtfulness, one tanned finger against his chin.

Nagato resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Though Yafeu was extremely playful, he did not put up with any sort of flippant remarks or actions. A roll of the eyes could get them ripped from your head. In fact, they had lost many a servaliyann that way. The way he dispatched them with that eerie smile plastered on his face was creepy, even for Nagato.

"It will happen," Yafeu said confidently.

Nagato didn't refute him. He knew better than to do that. Instead he turned his attention back to the area where his little queen had been taken, his heart clenching.

He wanted nothing more than to follow.

To wipe out those men and the entire village for their treatment of his precious Goddess. They had no idea how close they were to death. If not for Yafeu, they would be dead even now. His fingers itched for their blood.

"For now, we will get as close as we dare and watch her progress," Yafeu said standing, "Though we must not venture too close. Those weapons and collars are embedded with a special stone shipped from Agyptian prisons that instantly subdue the powers of an Agyptian,"

Yafeu's lips twitched, eyes ablaze with humor.

"Even I am not immune to its effects," he admitted, "But for Kagome, I have no idea what sort of reaction she will have to it. I am itching to find out though,"

Nagato let loose an inaudible sigh. He was not so eager to see said effects. He had no doubt they would cause his little mistress more pain than good.

OoOoOoOoO

_**I really do hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I knew this is a slow moving romance, but I hope you all stick with it and just enjoy the events leading up to the romance. We'll get there, promise!**_

_**To the anonymous reviewer "a"- Thank you for your review! I do hope you continue to enjoy it!**_

_**Darkness living in Hope**__** – Well I am very flattered to hear that! I'm glad you like the Kagome portrayal. I know it's really different, but I'm trying to make it work! Hope you continue to enjoy the chapter!**_

_**blooboboboobobob**__** – I'm glad you're loving it so far. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes in my first story "Angel" and hopefully write this one a little better. And no, you didn't miss the explanation about Izaoi at all. I haven't gotten to that part yet. I will later though XD.**_

_**Chez- I am extremely happy that you think so! Ya making me blush! Hope you continue to enjoy the story! **_____

_**MaiStar**__**- Well thank you for saying so! Please continue to enjoy.**_

_**MariisCa**__**- Well I do try not to disappoint my readers and I am glad you happen to be one that is satisfied so far. Thank you!**_

_**medi**__**- Awwww, thanks! I'm not sure why more people don't write reviews, but really, what can you do? Bu like I said, I know this is slow moving, but I still wanted to write it this way because it seems a bit more interesting. I'm glad you hung in there!**_

_**Thank you all! Please review!**_

_**Laters!**_

_**~Sessakag**_


	12. Adjusting to Life

_**Chapter Twelve:**_

_**Adjusting to Life**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**_

_**October, 7**__**th**__**, 900 A.D.**_

Kagome groaned as she stood up from her stooped position. Her back tightened and screamed in protest. She rubbed with dirty fingers at the knotted muscles, sighing in relief as the action brought her a bit of relief, though not much. By now, she was used to that pain as well as others. With so many exhausting, laboring tasks, it was a wonder that she was able to stand straight at all.

Not for the first time, she wondered why things were the way they were.

Her eyes looked around her at the other dark skinned men, women and children working the fields, their cloths dirty and ragged, and their bodies as achy and tired as her own.

Beyond the field the _dronos _milled about as always, laughing, talking and relaxing while torturing and tormenting the Agyptian people that passed through the streets. _Dronos_, her friend Chione, a fellow Agyptian slave had told her that was the Agyptian word for those that were not of their blood.

She had no idea if that were really true, but all of the slave seemed to think so and used the word, so of course Kagome had adopted the word into her own vocabulary.

Though it had gotten her into some serious trouble the first time she had used it.

Her back, littered with faded scars tingled as she thought of it. It had been on the day after she had been sold on the auction block to a prominent farm owner in a village a few days journey from the village she had occupied.

The first few days at her new 'home' had been Hell.

The collar, tight and choking about her neck had drained her power completely, leaving her open and vulnerable to the attacks of her master as well as any servants or fellow slaves that decided they didn't like what she had to say. Kagome had known the true meaning of pain within hours. As the days went by, she'd learned that keeping her mouth shut and obeying orders without question was the best way to remain unharmed and unnoticed.

That day, Chione a fifteen year old girl that had been a slave her entire life, had befriended her, telling her not to talk back to the _dronos _else she'd end up getting a whipping she'd not soon to forget.

Kagome, naive little ninny that she had been, had asked what the word _dronos_ meant, and the girl had explained that it was what they used when speaking of the Japanese people or anyone else that wasn't Agyptian. The young, helpful girl had neglected to mention that using an Agyptian word to describe a Japanese person, let alone using the language in any way, shape or form was a high offense punishable by flogging.

Kagome, innocent as she was had referred to her master as _drono _thinking it the proper term to useand had received a public whipping from high noon to nearly dusk that day.

Afterwards, Chione had cried and apologized over and over, begging for forgiveness.

Kagome had not really said a word to the girl's grief over what had happened. As she was healing, she'd felt her mind go numb to the harsh reality around her, eventually realizing that her childish dreams of the outside world had been exactly that; childish. Though physically, she was very much seven years old, mentally, she had left behind a piece of her childhood after that.

Now, she knew better to think that anyone, including the fellow slaves, would treat her as anything other than dirt beneath their feet.

Chione was the closest thing she had to a friend and even she was met with a degree of suspicion.

Her stomach growled, bring her out of her thoughts. The gnawing hunger, a constant pain was at its worst today. For months now, she had been getting by eating the foods slaves were provided which was little more than moldy cheese, stale bread and water or soured juice twice a day.

Every now and again, she was able to slip in and out of her pad on the hard floor and sneak a drink.

Though it was not what she was used to, it was the only thing she could get her hands on. Little animals such as cats, dogs and sometimes, if she were lucky, a goat or cow kept the hunger at bay for a few weeks at a time.

It had been a shock for her to find out that the people around her did not eat other people for substance like she had been doing since as far back as she could remember.

Kagome had not mentioned the difference to anyone, wanting to avoid any type of beating for speaking up. But after a month without proper nourishment, she'd learned how to escape through pretense of taking a potty break during the dead of night and stealing away to find life saving blood.

She had not dared to go after a _drono_ nor had she taken blood from one of the slaves.

Instead, crippled with hunger, she had grabbed the first animal that had scuttled past her bare, dirty feet and feasted on the warm blood with great ravenous hunger and complete relish.

A year ago, she would have been disgusted with eating something that had just happened to run by her, but that night, it had tasted like a large chunk of heaven to her starved body. Such a small taste of blood had not been enough for her, and Kagome had contemplated hunting further for food, but the shinning light from the lantern of a guard had quelled that idea instantly.

She had hurried back before being discovered, heart pounding, and stomach aching for more.

The next morning, after eating the meal she was provided the aching hunger had dulled into a small urge which was quite easily suppressed; something that had never happened to her before. Usually the hunger was all consuming, unrelenting until it had been filled.

She wasn't a genius, but she was sure the change had to do with the suppressant wrapped around her neck. The same object that sapped her strength had also weakened the hunger or at least suppressed it longer than it usually was. The longest she could go without blood of some kind had stretched from a week to two to three months.

For this, she was glad.

It meant she did not have to sneak out every week to survive. She was sure the _dronos_ would notice their pets and livestock disappearing if her hunger had not been under control as it was now.

"You'd best back getting back to your work, Kagome," Chione whispered, "the master is looking at you again,"

Kagome didn't even look to see if the old Youkai was looking her way. She knew he was for she could feel his cruel gaze even from a distance. Quickly she bent back to her task of plucking crops from the small rows of vegetation.

By the end of the day, she was tired and hungry. She ate her meal standing, as there were no tables or empty chairs for her to sit on and the floors were dirty and covered in dirt before heading out doors behind the little shed she shared with seventeen other slaves to see if any water in the wooden bucket had been left over her to clean herself up. She was in luck tonight.

There was a small amount of cold water.

Taking a strip from the bottom of her overly long clothing, she wet the cloth and cleaned the dirt and grime from her face and body. Her fine, silken nightgown had been taken from her and sold in a shop. As a replacement, she had received one of poor quality that had needed washing six times before the smell of musk and urine had left the garment.

It was a poor excuse of clothing. It itched and scratched her skin, drying it out and making it very uncomfortable, especially when she slept.

She sighed as she headed back inside afterwards, feeling refreshed from her wash.

It was the first one she'd gotten this week. Every time she had come out here, the other slaves had already used up the water or had used it so much so that it was nothing more than a bucket of murky, muddy water she had refused to use.

As she lay down on her small pile of thin blankets in a dark corner, Chione took her place next to her.

In the dark, she could make out the older girl's dark blue eyes and short black hair as clear as day. Chione was a pretty young girl on verge of womanhood with her tall, lean figure and clear tanned skin. As of late, she had begun bemoaning her age, saying she feared that she would be sent to an exotic brothel if she continued to become so comely.

Chione had explained that an exotic brothel was full of Agyptian female slaves turned Agyptian female sex slaves. Though the _dronos _professed to loath the tanned skinned people, more than a few males, both Youkai and human had taken a liking for the more beautiful and well shaped women of the inferior race. Kagome had not known anything about intercourse until she had met Chione. The girl had seen her share of rape and hasty rutting behind buildings to fill the younger girl in on the details.

Kagome was more than a little disgusted with what she'd heard so far.

The stories and descriptions she gave were graphic, gross and grotesque. She did not envy the young girl being sent to a place where men shoved things where they didn't belong.

Tonight though, Kagome didn't want to talk. She didn't want to do anything but be miserable and suffer the hunger clawing at her insides. The meal today had not dulled it as it usually did and she was starting to panic.

The hunger, when it became to strong cause pain throughout her body.

Whenever she got that way, Yafeu would place her in the large circular container of clear liquid that helped to force it back to a manageable state.

That wasn't possible here.

Unable to sense what her friend was feeling, Chione was Chione and instantly began chatting as her head rested on the floor.

"You know, you really have to stop spacing out that way," she chided, "the master has been giving you 'the eye' more than once because of it,"

Kagome nearly rolled her eyes at the reminder. It was hard not to space out when one was set to doing a single, mind-numbing task from dawn to dusk day in and day out. She was used to mind stimulation, reading and writing and playing, the things she had done before she had made that fateful decision to discover the world around her.

The decision she was regretting still.

"I know, and I will try to pay more attention to my tasks," Kagome responded.

Her stomach growled loudly. Placing a hand to her tummy, she grimaced as pain slithered down her back to her legs.

"Are you still hungry?" Chione questioned.

"Aye," Kagome confirmed softly.

Chione had no idea what she was really hungry for though and Kagome was sure, if she had any idea, she would run screaming from the overstuffed slave shed. The young girl reached over to her and a hand against her head, stroking softly.

"Do not worry, it will be morning soon and then you can eat again,"

Her stomach clenched at the soft contact. The hand was warm with blood, fresh blood. Kagome nodded, trying not to focus on the blood that flowed through the young female's body.

Yet as the slaves entered the shed and bedded down for the night, she could hear their heart beats, could smell faint traces of blood from scratches acquired during field work or other such laborious tasks today, and the combination had the hunger burning at the forefront of her mind, blocking out Chione's endless chatter.

A soft rushing sound filled her ears, while the sound of pulsating hearts and thundering blood drifted to her.

Her own heart picked up a wild, hard pace and her little body felt heated and tense, wound tighter than the bow of and arrow. She felt as though, at any moment, she was going to snap. Chione looked at her with concerned eyes, her lips moving, producing words Kagome could not hear over the rushing in her ears.

Suddenly, Chione was moving away from her, waking other slaves as she tripped.

Kagome watched her as her vision turned hazy and darkness overtook her.

She awoke to glowing blue eyes staring back at her.

Those were her eyes.

Confused, Kagome looked closely at the young girl in the reflection. She was pretty sure it was her, but she wondered if she might be wrong.

The little girl's light blue eyes glowed eerily under the pale moon, her hair was unbraided and wild about her face, softening the features of her face and a small dribble of blood ran from the corner of her mouth to her chin. Perhaps what was most strange was the body of a large _drono _male she had draped over her little lap, his face contorted in horror, his dark eyes empty of life, deep puncture wounds gracing his neck.

Could that possibly be her?

She didn't know. She certainly didn't remember killing the male and eating him, and yet it had to be her for she could no longer feel the hunger inside of her.

It was quiet, sated, for the moment.

The reflection smiled at her, a slow upturn of the lips that frightened her even as it intrigued her.

It frightened her because, touching her own lips, she knew she was not smiling and if that was not truly scary, the fact that her reflection was not mirroring the action of placing a tanned hand to her lips was more than enough to strike fear into her tiny heart.

She stood quickly and scrambled away from the riverside, dumping the body into the river as she did so.

It was a moment before she noticed the scenery around her. The scent of smoke and blood hanging like a thick cloud cloaked the air, filling her nostrils instantly. Kagome turned in the directions of the scents, surprised to see the village up in flames.

She walked through the burning village, taking in the dead, drained bodies littering the ground, both slaves and _dronos_. There didn't seem to be anyone living. She didn't bemoan the state of the ruined village. The people here had been horrible, beating and enslaving others as though they had the right and the slaves had been no better, picking on each other, venting their frustrations out on the weaker slaves.

She was glad to see them burn.

Except…

She hurried to the slave shed where more bodies greeted her. She couldn't find Chione among the clutter of dead slaves. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing though.

Turning, she headed back outside to search for Chione.

Everyone else may have been mean to her, but Chione had not been one of them and she didn't want anything to happen to her.

She found the young girl behind the slave shed, a trail of blood leading to the puddle the girl had collapsed and died in. Kagome kneeled next to her and turned her over. Her blue eyes were colorless and dull, her skin cooling rapidly.

She felt her heart clench at the savage twin pinpricks on her neck.

She held no delusions.

She had done this to Chione; had killed her for food.

Her clothing was stained with blood, her hands red with the substance, the village was in ruins, the villagers murdered and her hunger sated.

It was not hard to draw the conclusion, even for her young mind.

Her eyes blurred with shimmering tears as she kneeled next to the body. As they dripped down her chin, she shook the older girl gently, knowing she would not awaken again and yet unable to help herself. She was long dead, judging from the drying blood and cold skin.

Kagome cried for the first time over her meal.

Never before had she viewed what she did as bad nor had she felt it was something that could hurt her as bad as it did now.

But now, as she looked at the body, she knew otherwise.

Her eating habits…hurt other people.

It was a stunning revelation, almost too horrible to accept for her. She had certainly never meant to hurt Chione, not ever. She had been her friend, her one and only friend.

Standing on wobbly legs, unable to bear the sight of the body any longer, Kagome walked through the village, the only sounds to reach her ears was the loud crackling of fire and the crashing of buildings and huts as they caved in.

OoOoOoOoO

_**June, 18**__**th**__** 904 A.D.**_

"Kagome, mama says its time to come in for supper!"

Kagome turned at the sound of the young male voice calling out to her. Standing up from the patch of daisies she'd been rolling about in, she dusted off her simple cotton gown and ran to meet her brother.

He came rushing towards her, grin in place, light brown eyes alight with laughter.

Isamu was a ten year old Inuyoukai and as lighthearted a person as Kagome had ever met. His mother, a young, dark haired brown eyed Inuyoukai female, was just as kind and happy as her offspring.

Kagome had been taken in by the small family of two nearly a year ago.

After her rampage on the village four years ago, she had wandered around Japan, having no idea where her home with Yafeu and Nagato, lost and desolate, mourning the death of her friend Chione she had walked, and ate what animals she could capture.

She'd stumbled upon yet another village and had been forced again to accept a new slave master.

To the grief stricken young girl, settling into the new routine of hard work, abuse and pain had not been hard to do at all. For a year she had worked the fields of her new owner until she had been sold for a pig and three cows to yet another slave owner in a far away village. Two years passed before another one of her rampages had overtaken her again.

Afterwards, she had wandered once more for more than a month. And then, she had collapsed in the forest behind a small cottage.

The woman, Morgana had found her there and despite the obvious fact that Kagome was an Agyptian slave and she was a Japanese Youkai, the woman had taken her in, fed her, cleaned her and dressed her in clean, comfortable clothing, wrapping her wounds with gentle hands.

Kagome had never had a mother before, and so in the months that followed, the nurturing care of Morgana had been like a balm to her wounded soul.

Kagome had basked in the attention and motherly care.

Morgana had cared for the tanned little girl as she did her son, adopting her as a true daughter. Kagome could never remember feeling so loved and cared for in her entire life.

Of course Yafeu, Nagato and her other servaliyanns had catered to her every desire, but this, this was different. This was warm, this was peace, and most of all, and this was love; true, unadulterated love and contentment.

But even as she stayed here, she worried, worried until she was fairly sick with it.

Would the hunger overtake her again soon? Would she be forced from this small haven or worse, kill her new family?

The questions plagued her like a disease, constant bombardments that was nearly too much to bear.

Every morning she woke in a panic, and every night she prayed the hunger would not rise. She liked it here with Morgana and Isamu. They were a family, like the ones she used to read about, and she was included in that family.

She couldn't go back to Yafeu and her servaliyanns, she no longer knew where they were, but this was second best.

Had it not been for the constant fear of discovery that shadowed the trio, their family would have been perfect. It was against the law to welcome an Agyptian into a home as anything other a slave; in fact, it was a crime, punishable by death. Everyday there was continuous apprehension of being found out by the authorities and being dragged away to await execution the next morning.

Morgana had explained this to her a week after her arrival, telling her she was not to tell anyone that she was here, nor was she to let anyone see her. She was not to venture far from the cottage, and whenever she was told to hide, she was to do so quickly and without protest.

Kagome had readily agreed.

The rules reminded her of the things Yafeu and Nagato had stressed to her before her foolish escape. After the years of suffering she had endured since her disobedience of their set guidelines, Kagome had no complaint about them, nor did she question the need for them. She simply obeyed them. This was a small piece of heaven in a cruel, cruel world; she would do nothing to jeopardize that. She didn't think she could stand being dragged back into slavery once again.

Everyday she was under the command of a master tore a piece of her soul, brought angry feelings to her heart, placed horrible, horrible thoughts in her little mind.

She was losing herself under the strain of abuse, hard work and punishment.

She didn't want that anymore. All she wanted was to stay her with Morgana and Isamu, her new family, in this small, cozy cottage far from the villages.

Isamu grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards home.

She let the little boy drag her along, a smile on her face. He was nine years old and yet still taller than she was, which she lorded over her every chance he got, despite the fact that she was the older sibling here.

Kagome found she didn't mind it much, his harmless teasing. She quite enjoyed it.

"I caught a dinner for today," he bragged, "Wait until you see it! Biggest deer ever!"

Kagome laughed at that.

"That's what you said yesterday! And you didn't catch a deer, you caught a tiny rabbit!"

Isamu flushed at that.

"Yeah well, this time it's a real one, just you wait and see,"

"I'll believe it when I see it,"

As they walked through the forest behind the cottage, chattering amiably, a clenching pain squeezed her stomach. Kagome froze in her tracks, fear and dread instantly swarming her. Even as her mind tried to deny it, she knew what was happening.

The hunger was coming upon her again.

Isamu stopped as well, concerned brown eyes taking in the distressed expression on his sister's face. For a moment, as he looked into her light blue eyes he felt a shiver slither down his spine.

They seemed to glow, swirling with some sort of power that looked more than a little malicious.

He took a step back, too freaked out to run.

Seeing the movement, Kagome viciously forced the hunger back, praying her eyes were no longer glowing. She reached out for him, holding her breath, hoping he wouldn't run screaming from her, hoping he would not look at her with hatred and disgust like all the others.

To her relief, he didn't turn from her; just stood there, confusion on his young face.

After a moment's pause, the two turned back to the trail leading to home. He didn't grab her hand again, nor did the two converse as they walked.

Kagome wrapped her arms around her middle, holding herself tight, trying to fight the pains racking her body. It seemed an eternity since this had happened. Nearly a year without an episode, nearly a year of peace, and now, it was back with a great vengeance. The hunger was so unpredictable, springing on her after long stretches of time.

She knew that, but she had wished, wanted, prayed for more time, mayhaps three years or even five.

She had yet to be blessed with such length of time.

So distracted by the radiating contractions flowing through her body, she nearly stepped all over her brother as he came to a dead stop in front of her.

"What-"

He shushed her before she could finish her question and pointed to the cottage, stooping down into a bush to look at something in the distance. Kagome followed his lead, crouching down next him, ignoring the gnawing in her belly as she tried to focus her attention on the people standing outside of the cottage.

A keen sense of dread clashed with the aching hunger, making her feel sick and dizzy as she took in their uniformed clothing.

There were three men standing in front of the cottage entrance, talking to their mother Morgana.

Two of them were dressed in the uniformed clothing of the Doubutsu Control Force, known as DCF. They wore black kimono and hakama with crimson embroidery and white masks with a crimson slash. Their name alone was an insult to Agyptian people, as well as a continuous cause for fear and hatred to grow in their withered hearts. Animal control. These males specialized in capturing and collaring the Agyptian people.

Calling themselves the Animal Control Force was nothing more than a new and clever way to further humiliate the depressed and abused people of Agyptia.

When Kagome had learned of their name, its meaning as well as what it meant to people like her, it had brought more than a flush of embarrassment to her little tanned cheeks. She couldn't imagine why they thought she and the other slaves were no more than animals for she could see no differences between the slaves in their masters except skin color.

That was all that separated them.

The third male drew her attention as he took an aggressive step towards Morgana, his eyes narrowed. Kagome could tell from the way he was dressed that he was a slave master.

She knew the type all too well.

Tall, well dressed, arrogant and just plain mean spirited and cruel, those were the type of master's she had seen and been owned by. Even from a distance, Kagome could see the hard glint to his brown eyes, the severity of his frowning lips, and the rigidness of his posture.

To their mother's credit, she did not flinch, nor did she appear to cower as she spoke back to the males.

Another cramp seized her stomach.

Kagome had to sit down and take a breath. Her brother didn't notice, too rapped up in the conversation to sense anything amiss with his sister.

She was glad for the reprieve because she was damn sure her eyes were glowing again and the slight pounding of his heart, increased slightly by the confrontation he watched, was hammering loudly in her ears, over shadowing her own nervousness to the situation taking place.

Face flushed, Kagome too another quite breath, arms wrapped around her middle in an attempt to quell the pain.

Even she knew the effort was useless.

Her mouth watered and she found her eyes were shamefully drawn to her little brother's pulse beating strongly in the side of his exposed jugular. Her fangs, usually dull, pressed against her gum and tongue while her lightly clawed finger tips twitched ever so slightly. Her sight sharpened, focusing on the throbbing just below his creamy white skin. Her breath hitched in her lungs as her body tensed, fighting the unholy urges that plagued her.

He turned to her, his lips moving, but she could neither hear the words over the hum in her ears, nor could she read the words he formed, her gaze so focused on his neck she didn't even try to read them.

Giving her that strange look from before, he hesitated a moment before pointing towards the cottage.

Kagome stood on shaky legs, pain radiating down her calves as she looked over at the cottage where Morgana stood alone, watching as the men disappeared from whence they had come. Isamu was already heading home, running into the awaiting arms of his mother.

Kagome watched the two from her place in the forest, wanting nothing more to follow, but more than a little afraid that is she got closer it would be to sample their blood than to offer a hug.

Even in her young mind she knew that the best thing to do was to turn and run.

Run far from this loving family that had taken her, given her love and protected her against those that would drive her back to slavery. Her running would ensure their lives, their safety. She would leave them, never to return, never letting them see what she really was, the horror she was capable of, the true nature of her being.

It was the best thing to do.

It was the right thing to do.

She knew that.

And yet her feet carried her forward to the young woman beckoning to her with a smile and warmth and love. Her legs moved towards the young boy that was her brother in every way that mattered to her.

Even as the hunger shook her insides, clenched every muscle in her body and clouded her mind, she ran into her mother's embrace and hugged her tight, blue eyes glowing, little claws twitching.

_**June, 21**__**th**__** 904 A.D.**_

"Sis, I brought you some flowers,"

Kagome looked over at her little brother, her eyes glowing slightly. Huddled in the corner of the room atop her bed made of hay and furred blankets, she looked nothing like the sister he knew and loved. She seemed like she was sick, and yet he could smell no illness on her.

Her muscles were tensed and there seemed to be pain radiating through her body. Her small hands clutched the little rag doll her and their mother had made a few months ago.

She wouldn't tell them what was wrong, him or mother and yet obviously, something was very wrong. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and didn't want to move around much except pace the length of their tiny shared bedroom into the long hours of the night. Her eyes, they glowed, too bright and too often for him to be imagining things for she watched him with those eyes; tracking his every movement, her attention focused on his neck most of the time.

At times, it freaked him out. He had never seen her like this before.

And to be honest, if he had known what a kind and gentle person she was, he might have been afraid. That look in her eyes, that glow, it sent chills down his spine.

He clutched the bright sunflowers tighter as he stepped forward.

He had picked the flower in the hopes it would cheer her up some and maybe tempt her to leave the darkness of their bedroom for the first time in days.

Mother said she was probably worried about the men that had come to their door a few days ago, but Isamu was not so certain that that was it. His sister was no coward that she'd let a couple of busy bodies scare her this badly.

There had to be something else that was bothering her.

He took a few more steps towards the dark figure watching his every movement with bright blue eyes.

Laying the flowers on her drawn up knees he sat down her bed and stared back at her, his gaze curious, searching for a reaction to the gesture. A smile, a glimpse of pleasure in her eyes at the bright yellow of the petals.

There was none.

"What's the matter sis?" he questioned, "Are ya sick? Do you have a flu?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head at the questioned.

"Are ya sad? Was it because those men came by the other day?"

Again, there was another shake of her dark head.

"Then what is it?" he asked, at a lost for what else could be causing her to act this way, "What happened to make you so sick?"

"You…don't understand," she whispered, arms tightening around her legs as a tremor shook her small frame.

Though she was older than him, he felt protectiveness towards her, like an older brother would probably feel towards his baby sister. The emotion was at the forefront of his heart at this moment. He wanted nothing more than to slay the invisible demons that plagued her so.

"If you tell me I can understand, but how I am I supposed to help if you won't tell me what's wrong?"

"I can't," she said in that whisper once more.

His brow drew down.

"But I'm your brother," he said, as though that solved everything, "You always tell me when something's wrong. You're supposed to. That's what brother's are for,"

A brief pause.

"I know,"

"Well then, what's wrong sis?"

She shifted then, bringing her head up from the tops of her knees and looked at him, really looked at him. Silence filled the room, a silence that was heavy and deafening. As she looked up at him, her eyes glowing brighter than ever, he felt a chill slither down his spine.

His mouth worked but no words made it passed his lips as she moved towards him, crawling closer, eyes shimmering, and fangs gleaming.

For a moment, fear gripped him, keeping him still as her arms wrapped around his neck in an embrace.

"I love you, my brother,"

The softly whispered words were accompanied by abundant of tears soaking the fabric of his shirt. His fear drained, replaced with a tightening emotion gripping his heart as sobs wracked her form. His arms wrapped around her body as she cried her heart out.

When she had exhausted herself, he helped her lay back in bed, drew the covers over her and placed her flowers in the pitcher acting as vase on their windowsill.

She watched his movements with weary eyes that glowed. Though she was not sleeping, he tip toed quietly from the room and closed the door behind him just as silently. As he left the cottage, his mind tried to make sense of his sister's strange actions.

She had never cried before.

It made him feel bad.

He didn't want to see his sister hurt. And not only that, to think he had acted fearful in her presence. It made him feel even worse.

How many times had she told him that she had been hurt by the bad people that made her do hard work all day and beat her and that because of that she was very sensitive and easy to hurt? That he had to protect her as her new brother?

What would mother say if she knew the way he had acted towards Kagome?

She'd give him a right scolding she would.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't hear the noise coming towards him until they were right upon him, pitchforks, torches, ropes and a small group from the DCF walking silently along the mob. Isamu stopped short, his little heart pounding, dread spreading throughout his body. For a moment, fear rooted him to spot.

As they neared, and the sounds of angry shouts reached his ears, he bolted into action, turning and running towards the cottage.

"Mother!" he cried as he ran, "The villagers are coming! We've got to hide sis!"

Storming into the cottage he was dismayed to find it completely empty. Kagome was not in their bedroom any longer, and his mother was no where to be found. Panicked, he raced from the castle, calling his mother as the crowd grew closer.

As the rowdy group reached the hut his mother hurried from behind the hut, a basket of laundry fresh from the cloths line in her hands.

"Isamu, what is going on?" she began questioning as he rushed towards her, "Such a fuss, you know you're sister is not feeling well,"

"The villagers are here mother; I think they've come for Kagome!"

His mother's eyes widened as the basket of clothing dropped from her hands. Isamu followed close behind her as she ran towards the front of the cottage. She stopped short upon spotting the large group of angry villagers standing in her front yard.

"There she is!" one of the villagers cried out, pointing his pitchfork at her.

Isamu stood closer to his mother, body tense as they neared the crowd. He could feel how tense his mother was, the nervousness she tried to hold back as they approached. He felt his own body tighten with fear as well as determination. Even though he was no more than a child, he was the man of the household and he would not let them hurt his mother or sister.

"What business do you people have here?" his mother called out, her voice steady and strong.

"You know well what we do here, hiding that slave child!" one of the men responded heatedly, "That savage you are sheltering in your home! Have you no honor woman?"

"I harbor no slave here! You throw about groundless accusations!"

"Groundless?" a village woman raged, "Everyone here knows about that scum you have in your home! We've seen her, letting her play with your own son for Gods sake! You are a madwoman! Sick! Exposing your own blood to something worse than the plague! He is tainted now because of you!"

Isamu clenched his little fist, wanting nothing more than to pull the woman's tongue from her rotten mouth.

How dare she speak of his sister that way!

She was no crippling, deadly disease! She was kind and nice and generous and a hell of a lot better than the foolish people standing before them. Though he ached to yell back at the villager, burned to make them all eat their words, he knew he could not.

His mother had been very specific, when things like this happened; he was not to say a word.

He was to let her handle it, and if need be, he was to run back to the cottage, grab his sister and flee if the situation became volatile. He had never had to run with his sister before, but as he looked at the hatred on the faces of the Japanese crowd standing before him, he was worried that today would be the day that his mother would command him to do so.

He prayed it would not be so.

Though he loved his sister dearly, loved her as if she were his blood sister, he did not think he could leave his mother to face these people alone.

Morgana would be mad at him later, would most likely punish him for his defiance of her wishes, but he had already made up his mind long ago. There was no way he would leave his mother; he loved her too damn much to do such a thing. Besides, he was the man of the house, and a man never ran and left a woman to face danger alone.

His attention was drawn back to the mob as it quieted.

A male stepped forward, and Isamu felt the fin hairs on his neck stand on end. Though his face was covered by the mask, his eyes were visible. Piercing orange eyes pinned him and his mother to the spot, the coldness in the orange depths sending chills down their spines.

Isamu took an involuntary step back as the male glided up towards them, the sea of angry villagers parting as he walked.

The male towered over him and his mother, staring emotionlessly down at them from his impressive height. His mother pushed him further behind her skirts, a small shudder vibrating through the hand she used to maneuver him with.

For once, Isamu didn't protest the action.

"For the sake of your own life, and that of your son, turn over the slave child, woman," the male commanded.

Isamu felt his stomach clench at the softly, coolly spoken words.

"There is no-"

It was a shock to Isamu to see the male raise a large hand strike his mother down before she could even finish the lie. For a moment, he stood horrified as his mother crumbled under the force of the blow, her little body hitting the ground with crushing force, the villagers behind the horrible male cheering and hurling insults at him and his mother.

He ran to his mother, placing his body in between her and the male, his heart beating wildly as the male's eyes turned on him.

"Where is the slave girl?" he asked in a low voice.

Isamu clenched his teeth, not sure whether he was shaking from fear or anger. He clutched his mother tightly as she struggled to sit up, her pale hand moving to her reddened cheek and bleeding lip.

"We have no slave girl here," Morgana maintained, wiping the blood from her chin, "Leave us in peace,"

The worked themselves into an angry tirade of death threats and jeers at her denial. All the while, the male watched them with icy orange eyes. After a moment, he spoke once more.

"If this is your wish, so be it,"

As if that were the cue the villagers had been waiting for, they all moved as one, descending upon him and his mother. Hard booted feet kicked at him and his mother, while angry hands grabbed him about the collar of his shirt, his mother by her hair.

Isamu kicked and yelled as they were dragged away from the cottage, his eyes searching for his mother, little body struggling to reach her, to tear the people away from her.

It was futile effort.

The crowd, littered with Youkai easily over powered them both and within moments, they were pulled to a large nearby tree where two nooses were tied to a high branch, two large wooden boxes placed beneath the softly swinging ropes. One was tall enough for his mother to stand on while the other was even taller, leaving no doubt in his mind that it had been made custom made for him.

His blood rain cold at the sight, and he renewed his fight against his assailants, screaming, crying, kicking, scratching and biting.

It was like trying to move a mountain.

His hands were forced behind his back and tied tightly. He dug his feet in, refusing to be drug in further until a strong Youkai picked him up and placed him onto the taller of the wooden boxes. The noose placed around his throat felt tight and choking even before it was tightened.

He could hear his mother screaming at them, could see her fighting them desperately, her hands reaching out to him, her eyes filled with tears and fear. Behind his back, he yanked on the binds as she took was placed on the wood block, her hands tied, the noose tightened around her pale throat. It felt like a nightmare, as if he had walked into a terrible nightmare that he wanted so badly to wake from.

But he knew he was not dreaming.

His limbs trembled as he screamed himself hoarse, his hands pulling at the rope binding his hands. The crowd laughed, hitting him and his mother, tormenting them with details of their impending death.

Just as he felt sure he would his erratically pounding heart would give out long before the box was kicked from beneath his feet, the sound of screaming reached his ears and the scent of blood filled his nose.

The mob had turned their attention elsewhere, their faces no longer tinged with hatred but fear.

They scattered in all directions as another scream filled the air. His watery gaze leveled on the object of their fear, his brown eyes widening in shock.

Her gown stained with blood, eyes piercing and glowing silver, his sister slashed through the villagers, killing them, _eating_ them. If not for the look in her eyes, if not for the dark, malevolent energy radiating from her, if not for the ruthlessness with which she killed and feasted, he would have been so very glad to see her.

He pulled at the rope around his hands, barely aware of the pain that shot through both arms as he wrenched them free. Hands trembling, he removed the noose from around his neck and rushed to his mother.

She barely noticed as he unbound her hands and removed the rope from her neck.

Her eyes were trained on her daughter, the monster his sweet sister had become. Isamu pulled frantically at his mother, though his own eyes could not help but stray to the vicious slaying before him. Chills slither up his spine at the look in his sister's eyes, the relish and glee on her face as she tore apart her victims, bathing herself in their blood, her tongue slithering out to sample the crimson liquid that gushed from the dead and dying.

Taking his mother hand, he jerked her hard and began to run towards the nearest village, his fear knowing no bounds.

Good God, what in hell was his sister?

He was distantly aware of villagers running as well, following him and his mother. He didn't care and neither did Morgana. With the dark energy at their back, closing in on them, they were on the same side for now; fleeing from that devil with his sister's face.

They reached the nearest village just as his sister caught up to them.

From the left, somewhere behind him, a villager fell pray to her claws, her screams filling them all with fear and dread. At the sound of the commotion, the village came alive with activity, people, confused as to what was going on exited their homes, watching the terrified villagers run towards them. But as the Agyptian child they ran from came into view, the village erupted into chaos.

His mother halted his running. Turning, he looked up at her, wondering if his eyes were as wild as hers were. She gripped his little shoulders hard.

"Hide, Isamu," she commanded in a trembling, "Hide and do not come out until this is over!"

"Come with me mother!" he cried pulling her arm, "We'll hide together!"

His mother shook her head, her grip on him becoming painful.

"I must stop her, hide Isamu! Now!"

He shook his head, refusing to budge. He would not leave his mother! If she was going to try and stop sis, then he was damn well going to try and help her do it!

His mother looked frantically at the battle that occurred between the DCF and her daughter. The weapons they used; specifically crafted to subdue the Agyptian people, had little to no effect on the young child. She took blow after blow and still remained unharmed, their attempts doing little more than irritating her further.

Morgana grabbed a hold of her son, protecting him as an explosion rocked the ground, sending villagers, debris, and dust clouds scattering about them. Once the smoke cleared, she once more gripped his shoulders in a death grip.

"Isamu, for God sakes hide!" she screamed hoarsely, eyes filling with tears of terror, "Please!"

"I won't leave you mother!" Isamu cried stubbornly.

"Isamu, you-"

The explosion took the words from her lips and sent both mother and son flying through the air. Isamu landed hard against a stone house, the air from his lungs driven out hard and forcefully. For a moment, his vision darkened and he drifted into unconsciousness only to drift back out just as quickly.

From his place on the ground, his blurred eye sight took in the form of his mother standing up, shaky on her feet as his sister walked towards her.

Her eyes, glowing and soulless, her face, hands and clothing painted in blood, her hair whipping wildly about her frame. She was the very devil and in that moment, he feared her as he had never feared anyone else. As she closed in on his mother, he tried to make his body move, to do anything but lie there helplessly, watching as the little girl gazed up at his mother with blazing eyes.

He could see his mother speaking, screaming at her, grabbing her shoulders much the way she had grabbed his as she spoke.

His sister continued to stare at her blankly.

Isamu tried again to move and despaired when he could not summon the strength to even move his head.

His heart slammed against his ribcage as Kagome reached up and grabbed his mother's hair, bent her neck at an odd angle and sank her fangs deep into her jugular. Eyes wide, shock spearing through him, Isamu watched his mother struggle weakly, her fists thumping against her back and shoulders a moment before she hung limp in his sister's arms.

Catching his eyes, Kagome looked over at him, bluish silver eyes glowing.

She lifted her head, cradling their mother as her blood stained lips curled into a slow smile.

OoOoOoOoO

_**Doubutsu**__**- means animal, or at least that's what my sources say. If I'm wrong, please be sure to let me know so that I can correct it!**_

_**Darkness living in Hope**__**- Well thank you very much. I am glad you are enjoying the story so far. I hope this chapter was to your liking as well! I continue to look forward to hearing from you!**_

_**Blooboboboobobob- You're really funny, XD. How many times now have you fudged up the reviews now? Lol, but that's okay, you're awesome anyways so you can fudge up as many times as you please. I'm glad that you get how I am trying to portray Kagome, I'm really trying to get across that she's not evil, but the circumstance of her life have had an effect and impact on who she is and how she sees the world. As for the servaliyanns, the way they were created at the beginning was by Kagome's blood and a hot iron remember? The heated iron is coated with her blood and burned into the back of their neck. I'll go over it more in future chapters, and even explain how Kagome made Nagato, but for now, the way they made them was by burning her blood into their necks with a hot iron.**_

_**loveinthebattlefield**__**- Glad you liked it, hope you like this one as well!**_

_**MariisCa**__**- Thank you very much, and it's no problem, I love writing! I am glad you like my style, though it is still mediocre at best, I am still working on it!**_

_**Apples- I am glad you think so! I'm really working hard to avoid some of the flaws I made in my other story and am taking my time, trying to make it really good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**I'm starting to get more reviews! Yaaaay! I'm happy XD. Thank you all for reading and thanks to those that review! I love you all!**_

_**Laters! **_

_**~Sessakag**_


	13. Dying is Painful

_**Chapter Thirteen:**_

_**Dying is Painful**_

_**All Agyptian words and their definitions are located at the end of the chapter. **_

_**On with the story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**_

_**August 15**__**th**__** 910 A.D.**_

They knew.

How they had found out, she was not all to certain. All evidence pointed towards her nemesis and tormentor, Bhlati but with no proof, she couldn't exactly confront the hateful Agyptian slave. It didn't matter anyway though, her secret was out. She could tell by the group of DCF _dronos_ standing before her master, speaking in low tones, her master's eyes widening, flashing to her before returning to the masked men that they knew.

Kagome felt her hands grow clammy, sweating as she struggled not to panic, not to turn tail and run as fast as her nine year old legs could carry her.

Her heart thumped painfully, pounding loudly in her ears.

She had not felt fear like this in quite a while; in years actually. After the…incident with her mother and little brother, she'd once again roamed the land, surviving as best she could while trying not to give in to the urge to take a blade to her throat and end her miserable existence.

Those had been dark days for her. Some of the most painful memories she had.

Even now she could not bring forth that memory with awakening the self hatred, the deep pain, the overwhelming guilt and grief that threatened to tear her apart from the inside out.

In the dead of the night she awoke screaming, seeing the blood of her mother and little brother on her hands, reliving the horror she had wrecked upon the innocent and not so innocent villagers that fateful night. She didn't remember most of what she had done, but there were glimpses of destruction, the killing, the viciousness of the murders.

Her adopted mother's face came in clearer than the other's.

Her tear filled eyes often swam in her minds eye; her screams of anguish, her pleading with her adopted child to cease her devilish behavior rang in her ears frequently.

And if that had not been enough, if that torment had not been burden enough to live with, then the remembered, awful stillness that had come over Morgana's body as she had been drained of life was enough to nearly bring her to her knees, and often times, it did.

Kagome had lost more than an adopted mother and brother that day.

She had lost a piece of her heart, a piece of her soul. The thing that beat in her chest was nothing more than a tattered, poorly put together shattered heart barely supporting a weakened, wilting soul.

Since her loss, she had not felt truly alive again.

But today, today, her trapped emotions had finally surfaced once more and were taking over her body, flooding her mind with fear.

The numbness had finally worn off.

Even after she had been capture again, she had not fought it, as she was placed on the slave auction block she had not cringed at being bought by the highest bidder like little more than a cow, and when she'd been thrown back into the painful flow of hard Agyptian labor she had accepted it as her punishment, as her due in the face of her own sins.

In the six years that had passed, her body had grown slowly, her mental state morphing into that of a nine year old child. Because of the sporadic growth and changes, it had been hard for any of the _dronos_ to connect her with the murders.

Her changes in appearance were inconsistent with the age the Agyptian child should have been, thus throwing them off.

After the slaughter and because of the previous one, rumors had circulated that an Agyptian child, no older than six or seven years of age at the time had been either cursed or spawned by the devil, that the child had a lust for blood and souls. It was obvious that a few of the villagers she had feasted on had lived long enough to give other villagers an accounting of the terror they had lived through, as well as a vague description of the satanic child that had dealt out the horrible violence.

Within a year, Kagome had become something of a legend or more like a story book beast used to scare young children into behaving as well as bring cautious fear and superstition to the adults that repeated the tales.

Because the rumors had started six years ago, that child would be heading into her teenage years.

None would mistake Kagome for a teenager, because in reality, she was not. She was very much still a child in form and mind.

But that didn't mean she was in the clear.

EVERY Agyptian child was scrutinized with suspicion and distrust, already, more than a dozen Agyptian teenagers and younger had been slaughter under accusation of being the Devil's Spawn as she was called now days.

In light of this, Kagome had been careful of her every act, of her every move, but apparently, she had not been cautious enough.

Bhlati slithered up to her, a sneer on his weathered old face, and yet even through the glare, Kagome could see the sliver of fear, could smell it pouring from him waves. He was afraid of her, a mere slave child. It sickened her almost as much as his repugnant body odor.

"The master said he wants you to come here, gal," he snapped shortly before retreating to the safety of the slave's shed around the back of their master's palace.

The palace was large, towering and exuded wealth. More than fifty rooms made up the master's home, all extravagantly, and expensively furnished in bright spring colors. Kagome had only been inside the palace once and that had only been when she had had to fill in for a sick maid. Otherwise, Agyptians were not permitted inside the homes of _dronos_ unless given specific permission.

Entering without permission was punishable by flogging, starvation, the rack, death and everything in between.

The only person allowed inside on a daily basis was Bhlati, and that fact seemed to make him believe that he had some sort of position of power that the other slaves did not. Heaven knows he lorded it over them at any and every opportunity that arose.

Kagome still had no idea why the older Agyptian hated her so much.

Bhlati was a middle aged male with black teeth, leathery tan skin and an angry aura that clung to him like a second skin. Kagome had disliked him upon sight, and had sense right away that the feeling was mutual.

Ever since she'd been brought to the field, he had been looking for ways to make her harsh life even more difficult.

Today topped everything.

God she had known she had felt someone following her when she went out at night for a sip of the horses and cows, but too damn consumed with hunger, she'd ignore the nagging sensation of eyes on her back in lieu of sucking down fresh blood to sustain her torturous life.

Kagome dropped the basket of harvested vegetables and walked slowly towards the large structure where the group of men waited.

She felt as though she were heading to her executioners.

And in light of the numerous DCF males standing there, she might very well be headed to her death. As she neared them, she gritted her teeth, as always, overcome with angry hatred as she dropped to her knees before her master, crossing her feet at the ankles, head cocked upward, awaiting his command.

It was a requirement of all Agyptian slaves.

Whenever they were summoned by a _dronos_ they were required to take to their knees, head tilted up and await their orders. They were even required to do so to the _drono _servants.

The Submitive they called it.

Humiliation and degrading is what the Agyptian people called it.

"You require my presence, master?" she asked in a quivering voice.

She hated the sound of her own voice, hated the fearful tremor that ran through it. As much as she wished to rebel, to get off her knees and strike out at her master, she knew such actions would do naught but hasten her own punishment and/or execution. With the collar wrapped around her little neck she was naught but a helpless rabbit surrounded by a pack of predators.

She would stay quiet and wait.

Wait for an opportunity for escape or at the very least, wait to see how dire her situation really was before making a move. Mayhap she was only to be punished. Punishment she could deal with, it'd be over hopefully within hours and the time she'd spend healing would be a reprieve from working. Acting rashly before she knew all the details of her summoning would only bring more pain and possibly death.

Her master stared down at her, eyes assessing her as though he had never laid eyes on her before, looking at her as though she were a creature that, at any moment, would tear out his throat.

"Where were you last night, slave?" he questioned softly.

Kagome felt her heart clench at the question, terror roaring through her body. Since the collar had been placed about her neck, Kagome had never known the confidence in her own strength as she had once known. Years ago, a lifetime ago it seemed to her, she would have never felt such overwhelming panic and fear, would never have been helpless against these people.

But here she was, at their mercy, praying that she didn't end up flogged or much worse, executed.

It was obvious he knew where she'd been last night, else he wouldn't have asked in the way he had, but in her nine year old mind, Kagome thought she could get away with a lie.

"I was no where mast-"

His booted foot came down hard against her cheek, driving her into the dirt. The pain, enhanced by the collar, shot through her jaw, spreading throughout her entire body. Stars danced before her eyes, and darkness lapped at the edge of her mind before she regained control of her senses.

She didn't get up; knew better than to get up, to appear anything other than weak, cowed and defeated would earn her another kick.

She choked on her anger, beat back the rage that threatened to erupt. She hated them, hated all of them, and hated everyone. If she could tap into the burning power her hunger brought forth she would have done so, would not have shed a tear as she slaughtered everyone in the village, innocent or not, at the moment, she didn't care.

She wanted to kill.

"I ask you again, Agyptian trash," he spat on the ground next to her dirty bare feet, "Where were you last night,"

Kagome clenched her fists tightly, jaw clenched against the pain, and the need to say something she knew would get her whipped into a comma.

"I was no-"

Kagome bit back a painful cry as he yanked her up by the hair, pulling her to her feet viciously as his fist connected to with her face.

"Devil's child!" he growled, letting his fist fly again, "You were seen sucking the blood of a cow! Spawn of Hell! You may disguise yourself in that childlike body but I know who you are, what you are! "

Kagome's head rocked on her shoulders as he hit her again, impotent fury boiling, twisting in her gut as he spat in her face. The Agyptian slaves paused in their work, watching the beating. Kagome could see some of their expressions, the horror in their eyes.

She'd be a fool to believe that horror steamed from the master's treatment of her.

Oh no, it was what she was that put that look of fear in their eyes.

The Devil's Spawn, here to drink their blood and feast on their flesh, steal their souls and toss it into the eternal flame of Hell. They were right to fear her, a little nine year old child.

For if she had been able, she would have done so in a heartbeat.

She stumbled as he set her on her feet and started to drag her forward by her hair, nearly dragging her, yanking hard on her hair when her legs began to give way. Kagome refuse to utter a word, refuse to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain, or hear her voice tremble in terror.

Silently she bore the pain, the shame as her dragged her towards the main stream of the village, spewing curses and insults at her that had every head, _dronos_ and Agyptian, turning towards them.

Whispers began, growing louder, more condemning as she staggered to keep up with her master. The group of people quickly turned into a crowd, the crowd turned into a mob. Surrounded on all sides, Kagome felt trapped and there was no doubt she was.

"It's the Devil's Child," one villager whispered.

"She's come to dine on our flesh," another panicked.

"She'll not dine on my flesh!" cried a male,"Kill her! Kill her now before we all perish at her fiendish hands!"

"The Spawn of the Devil has been hiding in our midst!" her master roared, silencing the people, "She must die for the crimes she had committed! She must die before she does indeed dine upon our flesh!"

Finally her master stopped, his grip still unbearably tight in her thick black hair. Tears threatened to fall as her scalp tightened, and she feared her would tear her hair from her head. With a burst of strength he tossed her down onto the dirt street.

"Kill the beast!" her master continued, spitting at her feet again, "Kill the Devil's Spawn and send her back to fiery pits of from where she came!"

Kagome curled into a tight ball as the crowd descended upon her, kicking, punching, biting and spitting. No part of her body was left untouched, no part her was free of pain, of shame. She felt every blow, absorbed every insult, and heard every graphic detail of the numerous ways the wished to kill her.

Kagome retreated into her mind, shying away from the pain, embracing the hatred that coiled in her belly, fisted her heart and made her soul ache to kill them all.

'_You hate them, don't you, these mortals?'_

Kagome fixated on the words spoken in her ears, not at all afraid by the voice in her head. She knew there was someone, or some_thing_ inside of her; an intelligent being that came out only during her hunger. She could not tell what gender it was for the voice sounded neither male nor female to her ears.

It just…was.

Never before had it communicated with her when she was not consumed with hunger, showing itself only once before, the night Chione had died down by the river, when her reflection had smiled even though she had not.

At times, she felt its presence, usually during the times where some person or another was cruel to her and in response; she imagined killing said person in the most gruesome of ways. Its energy was often there, hovering on the edge of her min, oppressive and malevolent, goading her own feelings of hatred, scaring her when it added fuel to her dark thoughts.

It was the reason why she tried so hard to avoid situations that brought forth those feelings. She feared she would lose her, turn into what they thought she was.

The Spawn of the Devil.

But now, as she lay there on the dirty ground, being beaten, humiliated and hated, she felt as though she had no recourse but to embrace that darkness inside her, for no other reason to keep her sanity. She needed that voice, needed the dark energy it cocooned her in, holding her together as she struggled not to fall apart at the seams.

'_Hate them, legatha,'_ the voice crooned, '_Hate them for the pain they cause you. Live and breathe for that hatred. Hate them more than they hate you,'_

Kagome gasped aloud as a fist buried in her little belly, forcing the air from her lungs. With barely time to recover, she was grabbed once more by the hair and forcefully pulled up to her feet. As she was dragged along, she was only dimly aware of her injuries.

Blood clogged her nose, making it hard to breath, only one eye opened fully while the other had already swollen shut. Her lip was torn, leaking blood into her mouth; while her tongue registered that a few of her teeth were missing. Pain radiated from her back down to her lame, dragging left leg and her head was spinning, a wet sticky substance dripping down the back of her head.

As she stumbled on a rut, her most prized possession, usually tightly secured to her hip with a thin piece of string beneath her clothing, came tumbling from underneath her dress.

Kagome gasped, yanking hard at her master, dislodging his hand from her hair, diving for the dirtied doll her mother, Morgana, had made for her.

It wasn't anything fancy, just a tiny pillow in the shape of a person filled with straw, moss and sweet smelling herbs, the hair made of yarns sewed in at its head. The eyes were two mismatch buttons, one blue one green, the mouth drawn crookedly with ink, while the nose was nothing more than a flat brown circular piece of metal Kagome had found on the forest floor.

The clothing, a little white dress, was gray with dirt, grime and numerous washings; torn at the neckline and hem, stained with blood.

It was a piece of shit to the people around her.

To her, it was everything. The only tie she had to happier times, the only tie she had to love, peace, a family. She'd kept it since leaving the last village in ruins, the blood of her mother and brother staining her hands.

She'd kept it with her to avoid losing it as well as having it stolen.

Her fellow slaves would think nothing of taking her doll for their own comfort or to sell, and Kagome had not ever let anyone know she had such a thing. It was forbidden for slaves to have anything their master did not approve for them to have.

In the face of the crowd, it was damning evidence.

"You would dare show me such disrespect?" her master screamed, trying to rip the doll from her arms, "I gave you no permission to have such a thing!"

Kagome held tight to the doll, refusing to release her grip, praying to God he didn't rip it apart.

'_Hate them,'_ the voice whispered in her mind, flooding her with malicious energy, swamping her senses with dark, blazing hatred.

She didn't fight it, didn't reject the feelings. Instead, she gripped the doll tighter, yanking at it.

"No! Let go!" she screamed in fury, pulling the doll from his arms, falling back on her bottom as she did so.

For a moment, the act silenced the crowd, widened eyes, and dropped jaws. As quick as it began, it was over, shock and surprise crashing into outrage, furry and murderous anger.

The descended upon her; swarming her all at once.

The beating from earlier was nothing compared to this. She knew not what hurt more, where to block, if there were using hard objects to beat her with or their fists. At the moment, it didn't matter. There was nothing he could do but clutch her doll, retreat into her mind and let the dark voice inside her soul whisper words of evil and vengeance in her ears.

And when it was over, when she lay boneless in a pool of her own blood, her arms no longer able to hold her doll, she felt herself being dragged along the ground once more, felt the doll being ripped from her arms as though it had been attached to her heart as well.

The jeers of those following her as her master dragged her along the dirt were only low murmurs to her ears.

With one eye swollen and the other throbbing she couldn't really see, didn't know where they were taking her, didn't know who had her doll, and with her jaw hanging loosely and uselessly, she could not demand to know where her precious doll was.

It seemed forever before they stopped and she felt herself being lifted and thrown, landing hard against a wooden floor.

The impact, so unexpected, forced her first cry of pain from her lips against her will, much to the amusement of her spectators and that angered her more than her beating. Kagome curled up into a ball on the hard wooden ground, her humiliation complete, and despair blazing through her like never before.

"A quick death is too good for one such as you," her master informed her, "I've something better planed for the Devil's Spawn,"

The sound of a door slamming shut engulfed her in darkness, while the loud sliding of a bar against the door had her heart pounding with dread. The voice of the villagers began to drift away, leaving in place a deafening silence.

She lay staring at the darkness, heart sick at their cruelty, sadden at the loss of her doll and weary to her little soul with life itself.

Tears bathed her face in moisture while the shadowy presence inside of her rose once more.

'_There, there, legatha,' _it soothed, '_This is not forever. They will pay. In time, they will all pay,_'

For the life of her, she could swear she felt a strong hand stroking her hair. Fear wracked her body, fear of the thing inside of her, fear for the sinister feelings it provoked within her heart.

'_There is nothing to fear from me,_' it crooned, '_for I am your ally, and you are mine. Embrace my presence, legatha; it will be a healing balm to your soul,_'

Kagome didn't respond to the voice, neither pushing it away, nor accepting what it offered, but instead turned to the blissfulness of unconsciousness.

_**August 18**__**th**__**, 910 A.D.**_

Kagome lay on her back, once again counting the nails holding the planks of wood of the ceiling together, starting at the left rear corner and working her way forward. When she finished, she began counting the planks of wood. After that, she counted the cracks, and then counted the number of light brown planks versus the light colored, and when she had completed that, she started all over again.

Three days.

She'd been locked in the small wooden outhouse shaped structure for three days.

No one had come by, not with information as to how long she would be here or with anything to eat or drink. Already hunger was gnawing at her weakened body, making her lethargic.

**She had a nagging fear that the villagers had chosen death by immurement for her.**

_**August 21**__**st**__**, 910 A.D.**_

She was sure now that that was exactly what they had in mind for her.

To make matters worse, she was not human. Her body may be powerless from the collar, but that didn't mean she was completely weak. The Agyptian body was much like the body of Youkai; rapid healing, stronger than that of a hanyou or human. The Japanese people had been clever. Stripping them only of their power but not their endurance had ensured the Agyptian slaves would be hard workers and able to survive under unbearable pressure.

Kagome didn't know how long it would take an Agyptian to starve to death, but was certain that she would find out at the conclusion of her miserable life.

_**August 25**__**th**__**, 910 A.D.**_

Kagome's hands shook as she grasped the flailing rat in a tight grip.

It was the first animal to scurry into the little shed through an opening between the planks. Lost in a sea of pain, agony and crippling hunger, she had nearly missed her chance at sustenance. She'd barely been able to move at all but as the sound of the rat's fluttering heart beat reached her ears, energy blazed through her body, her mind function for the first time in days, screaming at her to reach out and grasp the food source nearby.

Like a possessed beast she'd lunged at the little creature, capturing its fat warm body in both desperate hands, her own heart beating so loudly, so hard she'd feared it was about to give out.

She barely felt the rat's teeth latching onto her fingers in an attempt to free itself as she stumbled back to the floor, energy deserting her, leaving in its place a weakness that made it nearly impossible for her to bring the rat's round belly up to her mouth.

As her fangs pierced the tender flesh there, blood, rich and warm flooded her mouth, sliding down her throat.

She drank greedily, long pulls of her mouth, desperately wanting the life giving liquid to last.

All too soon, it was over.

The blood dried up, the animal lying still, having long since died off, and once again, she was left with silence and hunger.

_**August 30**__**th**__**, 910 A.D.**_

The sound of something sliding open brought Kagome out of her wool gathering. Desperately she tried to focus, tried to force her mind into order.

Each day, it seemed as though her mind had begun to decay.

She could hold onto a single thought, couldn't differentiate between night and day. Every movement hurt, every breath she drew in flooded her body with such great agony she often lost consciousness. It was the worst torment she had ever had to endure.

A torment she prayed would end soon, whether by freedom or death, she didn't care.

All she wanted was for this to end.

She sat in the left corner in the rear of the hut on the floor, back leaning heavily against the wall, the only thing keeping her upright. It had taken her a long, torturous six hours to get into the position, and she'd only moved because her back began to ache from lying on the hard floor.

The blood of the rat had given her some energy but not much.

With great effort, she peeled open her one good eye, squinting against the light peeking in through cracks of space between the planks.

At the door, two brown eyes peered at her, scrutinizing her, amusement lighting the mocking eyes as they assessed her pitiful condition. Kagome felt anger burn anew at the witness to her slow, painful death.

It'd started a couple of days ago, villagers sliding open the rectangular peephole to look at her and laugh.

She'd tried only once to reach out to someone; that had been the first day it began.

The black hearted _drono_ had only watched as she crawled towards the door, reaching out with a trembling hand, pleading for help, for mercy. When she'd been nearly there, the peephole had slammed shut once more and cackling laughter had followed.

Since that day, she ignored the eyes, didn't even dare to hope that a savior was to come.

The peephole closed once again, and the snickering reached her ears.

_**November 1**__**st**__**, 910**_

She wasn't going to last.

She knew that, could feel it and truth be told, she didn't want to go on another day. She welcomed death, welcomed it with open arms and bright happy smile.

Still seated against the wall, she'd lost consciousness shortly after her last "visitor". She had no idea how long ago that had been, and at this point, did it even matter anymore? Surely it did not. She was dying anyways.

Even as her life drifted away from her, she couldn't stop the hatred, the anger, the absolute rage that was festering inside her soul, rotting within her body.

The only regret she had right now was not being able to shed the blood of those that had shed hers.

It was sickening feeling, running so deep she felt it clear to her little bones.

Over the years, she had felt many things; pain, anguish, disgust and mistrust. Over the past week or so, she had felt even more thing; fear, pain, hunger and hopelessness. And yet this, this dark, twisting feeling lodged in the pit of her belly was something beyond everyone of those emotions, so powerful, so all consuming she felt she would go mad if she wasn't already.

Her fingers twitched, wanting to feel tearing from bone beneath them.

The slight movement sent pain radiating through her spine, the small claws broken and bloodied from her foolish attempts to claw her way out.

Turning her head slightly, she looked out through the gaping hole in the wall next to her head.

As her eyes settled on the white object lying a distance away, she clenched her fists, ignoring the nauseating pain that accompanied the action.

Her precious doll had been sitting there for at least two day, just in arms reach for her.

It was within her reach and yet she didn't have the strength to reach out and grab it. Another form of torture the twisted _dronos_ had concocted to torment her further. Had her jaw been properly healed, she would have clenched her teeth.

They would torment her with her precious doll no more.

She was going to die today, and she'd be damned if she would leave this earth without her doll clutched in her arms.

Taking a breath, she closed her eye, gathering what strength she could summon, praying it was enough to complete her final wish. Sweat beaded her forehead as she began to turn her body slowly, pain gripping her like a vice with each movement. Her breath came out in short choppy pants, her heart rate sky rocketing with the forced movement.

She plowed through the agony, her mind focused only on reaching her goal.

But she was already beginning to weaken, she could feel it.

"Please…" she whimpered between dry, cracked lips as her hand slipped through the hole; bloody fingers reaching for the doll.

She nearly fainted with relief as she caught the dirtied dress and began to pull it towards her.

It seemed an eternity before she had the doll secure in the safety of her embrace. With no energy left, she crumpled to the ground. Memories flooded her mind. Achingly wonderful memories of her mother, her little brother, the brief time they had shared, the love she had experienced, and the bitter sweetness of her mother's last minute on earth, where she had spoken of her love for her daughter even as her life was drained from her body.

It all came back.

Even her time in the tower, isolated from the cruel outside world; protected. Her heart ached as she thought of that night, so long ago when she had climbed from her window, carefree and full of exhilaration as she ran towards what she thought was friends, adventure and freedom.

What a fool she had been.

She didn't want to die. Not really anyways.

She wanted this torment to end and if death was the only way, so be it.

But as she thought about all the things she could have done, the things she wanted to do, desperation gripped her.

She wanted so badly to live.

Curled in a ball on the floor, doll clutched tightly, she whispered two words she had whispered thousands of times since her escape from the tower.

"Help me…"

The loud crash was loud and thunderous, cutting through the silence that had engulfed her only seconds before. The smell of smoked filled the small hut, along with the sweet scent of freshly spilled blood. Her stomach clenched in rumbling hunger as she opened her eye and sat up the small inch she was able to.

The door of the hut had been ripped from its hinges, letting in smoke, and there, standing before her was a sight so welcome, so unexpected she feared she had already died and gone to heaven and he was the angel escorting her there.

The gold mask gleamed brightly, while the familiar grin brought tears to her eyes.

"Yafeu," she croaked.

"I've come for you, my Angel,"

Kagome barely felt the pain as he scooped her into his strong arms and walked through the open door. Her eyes widened at the destruction before her. The village was in shambles, burning to the ground; tortured screams filled the air, accompanied by the heavy smell of blood.

Yafeu turned from the wreckage and began walking in the opposite direction.

From her place in his arms, she shifted so she could see past his broad shoulder. Satisfaction filled her as she watched the burning village fade from sight.

OoOoOoOoO

_**Sorry about the late update guys, I've started school, and I don't have as much time to write between school, studying and work. You know how it is. Hope you all be patient with me. I'm doing my best, I promise! **___

_**Next chapter, we will be getting into the events that will bring Sesshomaru and Kagome together, but first I wanted you guys to see what made Kagome the way she will be and how she is going to change later on. It's important for you guys to understand. I didn't want to just fly into the romance, you know?**_

Legatha- Agyptian one for "precious one,"

_**medi- Thank you for saying so! As for Morgana, well, if you remember, that group of people had more than a few Youkai in it, as well as a large number of people, all centered around two little bitty individuals. Now, Youkai's are in fact stronger than the average human, that's a given, but you gotta understand, Morgana wasn't a trained warrior, nor was she someone that was trained to fight. Just like with humans, if you want to be stronger you have to train your body. Morgana didn't do that; she was a stay at home mom with two children. If it were humans, yeah, no problem, but other Youkai's including DCF members? She didn't stand a chance. Hope this answered you question! XD**_

_**blooboboboobobob- I swear your profile name cracks me up every time I see it. Don't know why, it just does XD. I'm glad you like my stories! You don't know how happy that makes me! I had to LoL when I read how you thought certain parts were creepy, I'm glad I achieved my goal with one of my readers. And she was older in the vision the grandmother had. I'm sure you'll recognize it. And in the case of Sesshomaru, you are right. He will have to be the voice of reason to an extent. He's got his work cut out for him, I'll tell you that much.**_

_**- Stay hooked! LoL, I loooooooooooove when readers are hooked. Gives me a big head XD.**_

_**loveinthebattlefield- Hope this is to your liking!**_

_**Readalot-TMB- Twisted? O.o Who me, Yafeu or Kagome?...or maybe all three of us? XD**_

Hope you all enjoyed! Please review!

Laters!

~Sessakag


	14. Home Sweet Home

_**Chapter Fourteen:**_

_**Home Sweet Home**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**_

_**November 2**__**nd**__**, 910**_

Sesshomaru's brows furrowed at the report as he read and reread the missive. Taking a deep breath, he tried not to assume the worst, tried to tamp down on the alarm shooting through his system.

It was a futile effort on his part.

They were at war right now, any such news could not mean anything good. He was not optimistic or naïve enough not to acknowledge that simple truth. What it could mean for him, his family, not to mention the entire Shiro Clan was still unclear at this point.

His father was missing, had been missing for three months now judging from the date of the scroll on his desk.

Three months.

Anything could have happened in between that time.

His father could have been found by now, alive and well or he could be dead. It was too soon to jump to either conclusion, not without more information and evidence. But damn if a knot of dread wasn't lodged in his throat right now. At his age, such emotion on his part was atrocious, at least in his eyes, but he couldn't help it.

Though he'd rather trip and impale himself on his sword than actually say the words aloud, he loved his father a great deal; strived to be just like him.

Sesshomaru was not a male prone to public displays of affection; it just wasn't in his nature, an attribute he had surely inherited from his late aristocratic mother. He had only told his father of his great admiration for him once in his entire life and that had been hundreds of years ago, back in the days of being naught more than a pup.

Emotion made him uncomfortable; he wasn't sure why, didn't particularly care why either.

He was the way he was and judging from the results produced by remaining aloof, he didn't see the way he was as a bad thing. When there was trouble, he was able to keep cool, to think clearly and rationally, while others around him panicked, running forwards like cows to the slaughter in a desperate need to save those they loved.

During his training, his mind was sharp and focused, unclouded by anger if a technique did not turn out the way he wished. When dealing with tenants, Shiro clan inhabitants, even those outside of the Clan, he was able to resolve issues with great patience while others muddled negotiations with their edginess and annoyance.

There were only certain times where his emotions were engaged.

One constant issue that continuously stirred his darker emotions, anger, malice, savagery, were the Agyptian people.

The hatred he felt for those…creatures tightened his gut on a daily basis.

Standing abruptly, he moved towards the open window overlooking the vast grounds of the Shiro Clan. Tanned slaves worked the fields as the Shiro inhabitants milled about. The grass seemed dry and listless, the surrounding buildings in desperate need of repairs and fresh paint. Even the clothing of his people had changed dramatically. No longer did colorful silk kimonos and hakamas grace their skins, instead, the material was dingy and rough, the colors not as vibrant and colorful.

Luckily, he had not had to down grade the quality of his clothing as of yet, but still, to know that his Clan was on the borderline of poverty infuriated him to no end.

Japan was a former shadow of what it once was because of those inferior life forms, his own Clan suffered greatly from the war, lives were being sacrificed due to their thirst for revenge for the death of their Prince and Queen at the supposed hands of the Japanese people.

An absolutely ludicrous accusation.

Something more was at work here, whether any of his fellow Japanese countrymen were involved he didn't know. But those Agyptians were too damn stupid to realize it.

Not that it really mattered now. The war was soon coming to an end. More than half of its population had either been turned into pitiless, malnourished, miserable slaves or slaughtered like the vermin they were in war. Agyptia was naught but a hollow, war ravaged piece of shit. They would either surrender soon, or die not from war but from their own inability to survive off the once lush land.

Their surrender could not come soon enough.

As much as he hated to admit it, Japan was not much better off than Agyptia; one step away from becoming the desolate wasteland that Agyptia was.

It was a galling fact that gnawed at him day and night.

But he had some compensation for his disconcertion.

Looking out the window once more, his keen eyes picked up the crowd that had gathered around the flogging platform, where an Agyptian slave woman was currently being beaten within an inch of her life. Each strike to her bloodied back fueled his ever growing hatred; each of her cries soothed that hatred, reducing it from its volcanic boil to a nice steady simmer. With each slave that was punished in his domain, his restlessness and uneasiness abated for a short time, made him feel less like a lazy pup. It was galling to be sitting here on his ass, watching the once great land of Japan whittle away while there was a war going on. He would prefer being out on the battle field beside his father and soldiers, but as his father's eldest son and heir, it was not to be so.

Inuyasha was too young to assume command of the Shiro Clan and his father trusted no one else to rule in his place but his oldest son.

So here he was, stuck in Japan, sitting on his hands.

Yet torturing the Agyptian slave made him feel as though he was contributing in some small way to the war efforts, and he was. Working the slaves to the bone had increased the harvesting rate, as well as made it quicker and quite cheaper to build homes and other structures. While he could not fight battles in Agyptia, he could damn sure fight them right here at home, breaking their will and putting them to work for their betters.

It was no more than they deserved, the hedonistic savages, starting a senseless war all based upon the unfounded accusations of a once great Pharaoh.

Nay, he felt no pity, no mercy for those filthy beasts.

For now, their misery was enough to cool his ragging temper. At least until it spiked out of control once more.

Turning away from the scene, he walked back to his desk, and stared at the document that had caused his descent into emotional Hell. The paper seemed to burn his hand, searing flesh with its hated, condemning message.

He crushed the delicate slip of parchment.

God help those savages if they had killed his father.

**OoOoOoOoO**

She felt so warm and surprisingly safe. The bed beneath her was so soft, seemingly stuffed with the gentlest feathers and big fluffy clouds, nothing like the hard plank floor of the cramp little shed she'd been slowly dying in. The blanket she was wrapped thick, sheltering her from the chill of the room. There was no smell of unwashed bodies or the obnoxiously loud sound of snoring that was usually the first thing she heard when she woke in the slave's shed.

The gown she wore felt so supple and clean against her skin. Reaching up, she felt her neck, shock racing through her body as she felt her own skin, not the tight clenching of her collar. It was gone from her neck.

Slowly she opened her eyes, confusion thundering through her as she looked at the familiar bedroom. An ache lodged in the vicinity of her chest.

Her old bedroom.

How many times had she dreamed of being within these four walls?

How many times had she longed to wake up once more in the tower she had once thought a prison?

Tiny fingers gripped the blanket in desperation, praying to any and every God that would listen that she was not dreaming again. Kagome closed her eyes tightly, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

'_Let this be real, Gods let this be real,'_ she prayed over and over, '_Please let this-'_

"Have you decided to lie abed all day then, princess?"

That voice…

Her heart clench as the tears began to flow in earnest.

Yafeu.

He was here, speaking to her, his voice so achingly familiar. That teasing note that never ceased to bring a smile on her face, and even beneath the covers she was sure his lips were stretched wide with a bright grin. It was painful, having him here. She was damn afraid that she was amid a wonderful dream that would dissipate once she opened her eyes.

Tossing back the blankets, she launched herself into his arms, knocking him over in the process.

"Yafeu!" she sobbed, clutching him tightly.

Thoughts and emotion tumbled over each other, words streamed from her mouth in an array of nearly incoherent sentences. Her little body trembled, small hands clenching tightly. His strong arms wrapped around her, his usual grin softening into a mere upturn of the lips. With a big tanned hand, he stroked her hair gently.

"You need not cry anymore, my precious. You are home once more,"

Kagome buried her face deeper into his chest, fighting to stop the flood of tears.

"I'm sorry I ran away," she cried in a hitched voice, "I'll never do it again, I promise!"

"There, there, my precious Queen, there is no need to weep any longer. You are safe once more, back within the loving embrace of your humble servants,"

The earthy scent of his skin comforted her like nothing else in this world, his aura, slightly malicious with a heap of amusement clashed with her own. It was the most wonderful sensation she'd ever experienced.

"It was horrible," she cried, "they hurt me, treated me like an animal,"

"I know, those people, they are not good people. I've tried my best to protect you from their cruelty," gently he pulled her back to look into her eyes, "Do you understand now, angel? I was not trying to keep you imprisoned to make you miserable, I did what I thought necessary to protect you from the harsh reality of the world,"

Kagome nodded silently, tears blurring her eyes.

"You cannot trust those outside these castle walls, Kagome. Trust only me and none other,"

Kagome nodded again before falling forward once more into those strong tanned arms. He engulfed her, blanketed her in his protective embrace. How long they stayed that way, she didn't know. The sound of gurgling garnered her attention, while the sudden, twisting hunger crashing over her spurred her into action.

Before she could voice her hunger, Yafeu leaned back from their embrace and laughed.

"You must be starving," he commented with a grin, "My poor Queen, you could not have fed well over the years of your time away,"

Sweeping her up and into his arms, he stood and headed towards the door. Kagome cuddled against his chest, her claws lengthening in anticipation for her first real meal in a long time. Her mouth salivated while her fangs throbbed. Blood pounded through her system, making her lightheaded, her senses heightening.

Yafeu looked down at her with a smile as bright as the sun.

"Ah, my precious, how your eyes swirl with hunger and power. They are sliver and glowing, more beautiful than anything my own eyes have ever beheld,"

Kagome barely heard him as they descended into the bowels of the castle. As they neared the large circular contain of fluid, she began to protest, squirming to be released. She always hated going in there. The liquid looked like water, and yet it was slightly viscous, clinging to her skin in ways that were not painful but not comfortable either. Each time she came out, the hunger inside her would leave her dazed and shaken.

Yafeu had explained it was used to temporarily restrain the greatest of her hunger attacks, something that kept her from losing complete control.

After what she had seen and done during her time away, she knew he wasn't just making it up.

Still, she didn't want to go in there. Not now, not when she had just returned. It wasn't fair that he would punish her in such away. She'd already been punished enough and had learned a lesson she would not soon, if ever, forget.

"You worry needlessly," he told her as he walked right pass the tank, amusement lacing his tone, "You should know better than to think I would put you there after the hard life you've lived. Nay, I've a special treat planned for you,"

Kagome relaxed once more, fingers absently twirling his long dark hair.

"For me?" she asked, intrigued.

"Oh aye, just for you, princess," he said with a chuckle as he opened a door and began descending the stairs.

The scent of fresh blood drifted to her nose. Kagome closed her eyes and drew in the scent, her head swirling as it filled her senses. Instantly, her heart rate spiked, the hunger growing stronger, crippling in its intensity. She was so damned hungry! Her stomach rumbled, contracting painfully, twisting and contorting, sending licks of pain up and down her legs and back.

The slight muscle spasms started slowly at first, increasing in frequency as they moved towards the source of the sweet smell.

The warm heat of a lit torch danced over her skin, prompting her to open her eyes.

Silver hair and amber eyes were the first features of the male she noticed. His hair was like the gleaming moon, even sticky with blood and dirt; it looked soft to the touch. His amber eyes were piercing, filled with an intense emotion that she couldn't understand. Shackled to the wall with tight, spiked manacles, stripped of clothing and bleeding, the male didn't seem at all frightened or concerned with his present state of imprisonment. His face was cold, wiped clean of all emotion.

Two servaliyanns stood guard on either side of the male, their cloaked bodies tense.

The dungeon below the castle was dark, damp and reeked of misery. The floors were filthy, the walls unwashed and stained, and the stench of the dead, dying and suffering was worse than the musty smell of unwashed bodies that usually cloaked the slave's shed.

He looked as though this entire situation was nothing more than a mild, temporary inconvenience. Confused, Kagome looked up at Yafeu even as the hunger pounded against her brain.

This male was obviously a warrior of some kind, a very important one judging from the gleaming armor and high quality clothing piled in the corner of the room. Only slave masters and those of equal or more power wore such finery. Even if the clothing had not been there, she would have drawn the same conclusion based upon his very demeanor.

Nothing about this male was remotely humble.

His intense eyes bored into her own, his gaze direct and assessing. Surprisingly, recognition flared instantly, and the first expression flittered across his face.

An expression of complete disbelief.

"Ah, the mutt is awake," Yafeu chortled as he neared.

"That child," the male rasped, "She is-"

"None of your concern," Yafeu finished.

"None of my concern?" he thundered so loud, Kagome flinched, "Do you have any idea what you've done? You-"

"You will hold your tongue, mongrel!" Yafeu shot back with a rare show of temper.

Thrusting one hand out, Yafeu released a burst of power. Dark pulsing energy extended from his hand to the enraged male, silencing his rant.

"You will not frighten my Queen. You will show her respect and keep your mouth shut!"

Kagome could feel the agony of the silver haired male rolling off of him in strong waves. The feel of it heightened her hunger. She shifted restlessly in Yafeu's grip, her little claws digging bloody groves into his skin as a light red haze came over her eyes.

"Hungry," she croaked softly.

Abruptly, Yafeu's anger diminished, leaving in its wake tenderness and amusement. Retracting his hand, he gently stroked her hair once more, soothing her, his grin once more intact.

"I know, angel, and you shall feed well this evening. Patience," he assured her.

"That glow in her eyes," the chained male began in a strained voice, "it is…unnatural…unholy. What have you done to that child?"

"I've perfected her," he answered nonchalantly, twirling a strain of her dark hair between his strong fingers, "She is everything that is perfection,"

A crazed gleamed brightly in Yafeu's eyes as he held Kagome closer to the captured male.

"Look at her eyes, can you not see it?" he questioned fervently, "Can you not see their glow of impurity? Can you not feel the dark being that resides within? Can you not see it?"

Kagome looked back at the male, hunger making it hard to concentrate on the strange look in his eyes, the fierce words he threw back at the dark male holding her. All she could hear was the groans and creaks of her belly that seemed to have a mind of its own. The pain was intensifying, spreading to her very hair follicles.

Something dark within her reared its head, shaking her control and conscious mind. She was sinking deep into a shadowed abyss.

It was frightening…it was thrilling this feeling.

It swamped her senses, made her head spin with something akin to pleasurable pain, and took over her mind and body. She had no sense of time, no sense of herself.

All she could conceive was the euphoric feeling coursing through her entire body.

Gone was the crippling hunger, abated were the contractions of pain and agony that had left her trembling. A balm of gentle healing raced to each end of her body, cloaking her in pleasure and happiness.

She was floating it seemed, the softest of clouds swept her away, propelling her towards some distant, unknown destination.

She blinked once, and that was all it took.

Leaving behind body and mind, Kagome embraced that beautiful feeling. Standing amongst a vast stretch of white nothingness, Kagome floated. Clothing stripped away, she hovered naked in the air, yet she made no move to cover herself. For the first time, she was at ease.

Beneath her, wisps of darkness stretched towards her like fingers, crawling slowly to her, encasing her body. No fear possessed her, no panic shot through her little body.

It felt natural, being cloaked in the darkness.

"It is natural,"

Kagome blinked. The words had been spoken in her voice, yet her mouth had not moved. She turned, seeking out the source of that voice.

A short distance away stood a familiar figure.

It was…her.

And yet, it was not her. This being that looked like her was so very different. Her light blue eyes glowed eerily, her fingers tipped with well groomed, sharp looking claws and a haze of energy seemed to radiate from her little nine year old body. Perhaps the most noticeable difference was the smile upon her face. It was cruel turn of the lips, a curve full of malicious amusement.

Still, Kagome could not summon fear of the creature.

"Who are you?" she asked curiously.

"I am you," the being replied.

"I know you are me, but what are you?"

It shrugged its thin, naked shoulders.

"They say I am a God, yet others say I am an abomination, I know not which, nor do I care,"

That had not been the answer she had been expecting.

"You are not Apep then?"

"I am,"

"Yet you are me,"

"I am,"

"And you are a God or an abomination,"

"I am,"

Kagome's brows drew down in mild irritation, her gleaming blue eyes sizing up the grinning impersonator. How in the world could would live in peace being more than one person? Kagome shook her dark head in exasperation.

"You are confusing,"

"I am,"

Kagome giggled as the black mist surrounding her surged, hugging her little body in a gentle embrace, almost like that of a loving mother.

"You must remain here," the being said softly, gaining her attention.

Kagome looked back at it, wondering exactly _here_ was. She shrugged. It was okay with her, she was not hurt, and this place seemed wonderful with its pleasant feeling and loving smog.

"Use the darkness, Kagome," it said, gesturing to the fog, "Wonderful creations develop from its depths,"

That said, the being began to dissolve, feet first like sand blowing away on a brisk wind.

Apep stared around the room, taking in the surroundings with hungry eyes.

It had been so long, too long since it had been completely free within the confines of Kagome's little mind. It was a cramped and dark prison with nothing to do but pace its length back and forth, emerging partially once the hunger consumed her, but this, this was different. It was free of restraints, fully conscious and able to animate Kagome's body on its own.

Glowing silver eyes moved around the room, taking in the bowed individuals kneeling at its feet, one arm pressed across their chests in a show of respect. Its followers no doubt. It could sense the malevolence surrounding them, could smell its own blood wafting from the cloaked figures.

Chained across from him was a stunned looking Inuyoukai watching him warily, no doubt sensing the energy radiating from what appeared to be an Agyptian child.

The masked one looked up, blue eyes gleaming with the bright light of a crazed fanatic.

"We have brought you a meal, _Glyman_," he explained humbly, "Had we known that you would be in attendance, we would have prepared a grander feast,"

"It is of no consequence," it said, waving a dismissive clawed hand, "My presence within the child is still unstable. I appear at random,"

It turned its attention back to the Inuyoukai. The male looked decidedly shell shocked and vastly disturbed. It knew how its voice sounded, neither male nor female. A smooth frequency, that flowed over the skin like a caress and yet grated over the bones like the gnashing of teeth. A person would not know how to process such a sound, whether they should lean more into the caress and flee from it. It could not change its voice even if it were so inclined for it was not male nor female and had no desire to choose either sex.

At least not yet.

A slow, deliberate smile stretched the child impersonator's lips. It was a smile that sent shivers down one's spine, a smile that reflected ones worse nightmare amplified by infinity. Apep watched as the male began to sweat, his pupils dilating, heartbeat hammering against his ribcage.

The scent of fear filled the damp cell, and right on its heel was the sweet scent of shame.

"Have you nothing to say mortal?" it asked with mild amusement, "Your pitiful life is about to come to an end, usually this is the time for begging, bargaining and weeping. Though it has been eons since I was last free, things change. I am curious to see what response I will receive this time,"

It found mortals to be the most entertaining creatures ever created. Their emotions were so easy to read, so simple to control and extort when it suited it.

His mouth opened, closed, and opened again before his lips turned back into a snarl.

"What the hell are you?" he grated between clenched teeth.

Laughter, pleasantly disturbing mirth echoed through the stone structure. Moving faster than even the Youkai eye could see, Apep moved before the fallen male, looking up into his eyes with glowing silver irises. Baring fangs, it smiled that slow smile once more, delight lighting up its entire body at the gush of fear that permeated the air.

Leaning forward, it buried its nose in the wealth of silver hair, drawing in the scent of fear deep into its lungs.

Euphoria rose, sending an overload of pleasure through Apep's entire system.

"Your fear," it breathed, "It is like no other scent I have ever come across,"

Apep moved away swiftly with a chuckle as the demon lunged towards him, a loud roar on his lips as he struggled against his restraints.

"I am no more than a child, dear Youkai," it said, responding to the demon's earlier question, "Are you blind; do you not trust your own eyes?"

"I am not a fool," the demon hissed, "You are far from a child. What manner of creature are you, vermin?"

The masked male rose to his feet swiftly, hatred blazing in his eyes as he cuffed the male with enough force to send him reeling for a moment. The male's head snapped back, bouncing off the wall behind and leaving a dark red smear. His head hung limply as the masked male towered over him.

"Do not speak such poison in the presence of Apep!" he thundered, looking fierce and murderous.

Apep threw back its head and laughed at the display. The masked one was certainly loyal.

Sliding up to the silver dog once more, it smiled, rocking back and forth on its tiny feet in lazy amusement.

"I am hungry, demon," it informed him, "I will consume you,"

Reaching out with soft child hands, Apep brought the males head up, its eyes boring into wide amber.

"I will take all that you are," it whispered as it moved its face closer, "I will have it all,"

**OoOoOoOoO**

_**March 13**__**th**__**, 1001**_

Sesshomaru eyes narrowed as the great tower came into his line of sight. Lifting his hand, he silently signaled the handful of soldiers to halt their advancement while he surveyed the area. It was quiet around the city, not a light shined in any of the windows. Good luck for them, the cover of night would limit their chance of being spotted.

The heavens themselves seemed to be on his side because the moon was blocked by dark lazy drifting clouds, and the stars were dull and scarce.

Sesshomaru really did not have the patience to backtrack and wipe out witnesses.

Not when he was so damn close. He was not turning back until he had confirmed or disproved the tip he had received from an anonymous individual.

It had been ninety-one years since his father had gone missing, ninety-one years since he had launched his own quiet investigation, and ninety-one days since he had received the tip. From the beginning, he'd suspected the Kuro Clan of being behind his father's disappearance, but without a shred of evidence nor a single hint of their duplicity he'd had no reason to purse them as a possible suspect.

Now he did.

Maybe he was on a fool's errand, maybe not, it mattered little to him at this point. He was here and he was determined.

The individual had sent him a piece of parchment stating his father had been taken to the tower in the Kuro territory some ninety-one years ago and may still be imprisoned, rotting within its dark, dark dungeon today.

The very thought of it made anger burn in the pit of his stomach.

With the war over and won, he was no longer confined to his own lands, and had been long since crowned leader of the Shiro Clan. He could do as he pleased, go where he pleased, and not one person would dare to question him. None except for his little brother, and he did not count as the little pup had a death wish. Suicide by Sesshomaru is what he sought each time he questioned his elder brother. At times, Sesshomaru was hard pressed not to grant the mongrel's most cherished wish.

Amber eyes took in each and every detail.

Like his own territory, the Kuro Clan was just beginning to recover its former glory. The buildings had been freshly repaired, plenty of drowsy animals roamed, and the vegetation was well tended and nearly ready for harvesting.

Turning his eyes once more to his destination, he straightened from his crouched position from behind the tall trunk of a great big tree.

Motioning silently for the soldiers to follow, he moved fast through the maze of buildings and trees, a single silver blur to the untrained eye. Sizing up the surrounding area, he measured the amount of time it would take to scale the outside and the chances of being seen.

Taking nothing more than a second to weigh the pros and cons, he dismissed the course of action and instead looked for any entrances surrounding the tower.

Seeing none, he looked for discolored or carelessly laid stones within the tower's structure.

His eyes were instantly drawing to gray stone that was set at a slight angle, different than the rest. It was so slight that the average person would have missed it. Dashing towards the stone, keeping low to the ground. Wisely, the small band soldiers waited for him the safety of the brush.

Gripping the stone, he pushed it in.

The slab groaned as it sank into the tower wall and a small opening at the base of the structure gradually made its self known.

"Await me here," Sesshomaru commanded, "If I do not return within the hour, you have your orders,"

A few nods from the males and Sesshomaru ducked into the opening. His eyes took only a second to adjust to the pitch black open area as the door behind him slid closed once more. Sesshomaru kept his hand on the hilt of his sword and his body crouched low.

The dark stone hall was deserted and he couldn't sense anyone or anything nearby. There was a small thread of energy though. It felt weird, unworldly. It disturbed him.

Crackling over his skin like needles, the energy tightened his insides, made him feel claustrophobic, and suffocated. He'd been damned if it was fear that roared to life deep within him. Nay, not fear, unease maybe, but never a lowly, shameful, totally useless emotion such as fear.

Shaking off the absurd feeling, he made his way quickly down the hall, his feet silent on the stone ground.

None challenged him, no enemy crossed his path.

For a fleeting second, the thought of a possible trap flittered across his mind. It would explain the anonymous tip and the lack of resistance to his invasion. But the thought vanished from his mind as a bright light at the end of the hall appeared. It was white and extremely bright in its intensity.

He rushed towards it, body tense and ready for a battle. Upon entering, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Dark midnight hair drifted around a beautiful tanned face and naked body. The body in the large container of liquid was that of a young female, no younger than seventeen and no older than twenty winters. She was exotically beautiful, and against his will, he felt the stirring of desire. It ripped through his body unwanted and unexpected.

Never before had he ever been aroused by one of those tanned savages.

Before he could give in to the self loathing, her eyes snapped open. Glowing silver eyes stared back at him, beckoning him forward, pulling him closer with an invisible cord.

He found himself moving forward towards the glass.

When he stood before the glass, he became rooted to the spot, not able to move, not wanting to move.

The woman brought her hand up to the glass, her palm pressing hard. The loud crack of glass filled the room, echoed through his body.

The container shattered, the liquid inside sloshing against the ankles of his hakamas and still he stood.

Her dark hair lay matted to her body, her skin wet and glistening as she walked sluggishly towards him. He remained rigid as she sidled up to him and slowly, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands caressing his shoulders as her lips moved towards his, glowing silver eyes holding his own.

**OoOoOoOoO**

_**Now I know it's been a while, but I've started college yet again, but this time for nursing so I don't really have as much time to write as I used to. Sorry guys, I'll really try harder! I tried to move the story line a little faster so tell me if you think it'd be better a little slower or not.**_

_**ice-cold-bunni- So sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoyed!**_

_**Darkness living in Hope**__**- I hope this chapter was to your liking, if not, let me know, k? **___

_**Megan Consoer**__**- I'm working on it, I promise ya. :D Just got a lot of stuff on my plate.**_

___**- As you requested, here is your update!**_

_**Anony- Yes well, there are key factors as to why that is. I've mentioned in the story that the effects of having Apep inside her makes it all random, unpredictable and unstable. She was also only a little girl physically and mentally. Be patient, we'll get to the destruction and what not, but first I have to let the story unravel. As for the asshole Agyptians, well, sometimes, people in a bad situation don't exactly help each other. Misery loves company, you know? But give that time to develop as well **___

_**Readalot-TMB**__**- I'm glad you're giving it a chance. That's all I can ask for. And as for the doll, yes she did. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

**Glyman**- Agyptian word for God above all.

_**Laters!**_

_**~Sessakag**_


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